Heartbreaker
by Life of Death
Summary: "I'm only going to break your heart." When one becomes a target, the other risks their life for the truth. When one is hurt, the other vows to protect. What it means to protect, to give, to feel, to love, to be human. Zorobin! Please do leave a review and tell me where I can improve, it would be highly appreciated :3
1. Prologue

Hi! I'm very new on this website and also to writing stories. Which means I'm not very familiar here, neither am I a good writer, so I'm sorry if any parts of the story come across as crappy ;-;.

If there are any things I can improve on, please let me know by leaving a review :)

This is my original Zoro/Robin (One Piece) story, hope you enjoy! Before you start, **thank you so much for taking your time to give this a shot! It makes me so happy!**

I don't own One Piece (hEcK I wish), (G)Oda Sensei does.

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

 _It's been six months. Six months since her hands were slick with the blood of a nakama. Six months since he'd been simply… gone. Back when everything started, during the life-changing events at Enies Lobby, if she had known… well, she wouldn't have cried out those four cursed words on the balcony of the government building. She wouldn't have given him a reason. Her soul had went wild with the notion of setting out to sea with real nakama, with actual people who cared for and loved her. Love that wasn't just a facade. Back then, two and a half years ago, she cried out: I want to live._

 _He has never been the kind to show any emotion. Ever. She cannot remember once seeing him shed tears or even just blinking them away. In her memory, he has seemed at times to not have a heart. One instance comes to mind with the mention of his utter lack of emotion, and that was the heart wrenching funeral of their loyal ship, the Going Merry. Everyone had had some kind of reaction, even herself, even Vinsmoke Sanji had been blinking away tears. But him? Nothing. Not a single drop of water even entered his eyes. He stood there with his arms crossed, dignified as he witnessed the death of a beloved nakama. However, they have always been so aware of his absolute sense of honor and loyalty, displayed most during their adventures on the island of zombies: Thriller Bark. She doubt those who know of it are going to forget it anytime soon, especially Sanji, whom, from what she'd heard, had seen him standing alone, victorious, and covered in blood in a clearing after taking the blunt of their captain's pain and fatigue. Slightly ironic, isn't it? That the person he fought so hard to protect is one of the crew unaware of his enormous sacrifice. Here, she chuckles a bit to herself, a joyless sound. Gray, dull, and deprived of life._

 _She will never forget the words that he uttered to her when everything first started, when they first recognized their feelings. He had told her: I'm only going to break your heart._

 _And though the words unsettled her, she had never dug too deep, but it turned out that he did indeed break her heart, along with a little bit of everyone else on the crew. And most of all, he went ahead and crushed the soul of their captain. He did all of this, in the absolute worst way possible._


	2. Curiosity

_I want to give a HUGE thank you to the four people who followed this story: **Annaira456, Heartless Romantics, Hiken no Furia,** and **unstablemolecule**! Thank you so much for give this story and my inexperienced writing a chance! I also want to thank **unstablemolecule** and **Yuk1ch1n** for their kind reviews, it made me so genuinely happy and grateful :D_

 _Anyhoo, here's the second chapter. Also I update fast cuz I have a lot of the story written already and I kind of just post a chapter when I feel like it :P. Well, enjoy, byebye!_

* * *

 ** _Curiosity_**

She supposed she would have to back up a bit, back to when everything was simple curiosity. Back to when no one could have ever saw this coming.

It was a peaceful morning, they had set sail with Franky and the Thousand Sunny two days ago and everyone was still getting used to their two brand new nakama, when she approached him. The initial intent was to simply say "thank you". Of course, this applied to everyone on the crew, but he was the one that fought for the key to her seastone cuffs against the Devil Fruit user Kaku. He had gotten it, and Franky had unlocked her. Still, she wanted to express her gratitude.

He was, as usual, in the crow's nest that soared high above the rest of the ship, casting its shadow over the lawn and onto the water beyond. As she climbed the ladder, she began to hear the sounds that the crew now instinctively associated with Roronoa Zoro of the Strawhats. The distinctive clinking and clanking of iron dumbbells and different training equipments floated out through the windows as he worked his body to its absolute limit and more. Poking her head into the small space, she pulled herself up and watched as Zoro trained and trained and trained to become stronger. She was a hundred percent sure that he was aware of her presence, he just didn't seem to be bothered enough to acknowledge it. She wasn't offended or anything like that, not in the least, she knew him well enough at this stage to find this behavior "normal" as opposed to "rude". She didn't disturb him in any way, just sat there in silence and watched.

A few more hours passed, and she was starting to doze off when his voice startled her back into the waking world.

"What are you doing here." It wasn't a question, but a command. The tone of a commander demanding to know the whereabouts of his subordinates. The tone that leaves one with no choice but to answer.

"To say thank you." She had replied, calm and collected as ever, it was something that's most commonly associated with her, Nico Robin, archeologist of the Strawhat Pirates.

"For what."

"For being nakama."

He understood. "We all fought hard, you should be thanking everyone, we had no way of knowing which one of CP9 had your key. I was just doing what anyone would have done." His tone was flat, with that certain air of severity about it, as he dried off and donned a green shirt with a stripe of a lighter tone running down its middle.

"Humble." She remarked with a bit of tease hidden within her words, earning a glare from the stern swordsman. He didn't say anything else, but sat down across the room from her by a window, watching for any suspicious behavior. Though it seemed peaceful enough, they were in the Grand Line, after all. The light of the setting sun illuminated his figure and cast a long shadow across the room, enough so that it reached her feet. With her legs crossed and her arm resting on her knees, which in turned supported her chin, Robin sat and observed this seemingly emotionless first mate. It may seem strange, but looking at him, his hair had always been a point of interest, and the funny part is, it's not even the question of "why is it green?" Instead, she has always wondered whether it was soft or not.

Robin was never very keen on the word "embarrassment", getting her to be ashamed or embarrassed would be a feat. Which, the Strawhats actually accomplished once with "Strawhat Docking". Which was just… well… she shuddered at the memory, infinitely glad that she took no part in such a shameful thing. But, remembering the looks of it, she had to covered her mouth to suppress a rising giggle. Leaning backwards, she allowed her curiosity to express itself with a cocking of her head. Opening her mouth, she was just about to ask about his hair when Monkey D. Luffy, their captain's voice rang throughout the entire ship.

"SANJI, FOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

"That idiot," a growl emitted from the swordsman. "I swear the entire Grand Line heard that." Robin did nothing but smile.

"I suppose it's time for dinner." She said after a few seconds of silence, pulling open the trapdoor and preparing to take her leave. "It's quite nice up here." She added with a smile before closing the door, leaving Zoro quite, she assumed, confused behind.

As she descended the ladder onto the deck, Robin witnessed the three childish members of the crew, Luffy, Usopp (sniper), and Tony Tony Chopper (doctor), scrambling around the lawn, playing whatever new game they had come up with.

"Everyone, the food is ready." At this moment, Vinsmoke Sanji, the cook, stepped out from the kitchen and alerted the crew. As usual, he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his hands stuck nonchalantly in his pockets. Looking up, Sanji caught sight of Robin and practically melted on the spot. With his eyes turning to hearts and his body curving into its wavy tornado-y shape (Robin never really understood, how does that work?), Sanji gave his usual greeting, "ROBIN-CHWAA-" However, unfortunately for the perverted cook, the other female of the crew, Nami, the navigator, was nearby. Before Sanji can finish his small explosion of love and happiness, Nami's wrath, along with her fist, descended upon him and rendered him half unconscious instantaneously. Though, being Sanji, he never forgets to add, "I love Nami-San when she's angry…" Which, obviously enough, gets ignored by the fiery navigator every single time. Allowing herself a small giggle, Robin padded up the stairs and stood next to a scowling Nami. Poor Sanji, still twitching on the ground, now sported a massive bump on his head.

"Well," Nami said with a sigh. "Let's eat." Nudging Sanji with her foot, she proceeded to step around him (though unnecessarily, for he was immediately up and on his feet as soon as Nami touched him) and into the kitchen, where the smell of newly made food greeted her. "I swear if it wasn't for the fact that he makes good food, I would have so killed him already." Nami muttered, fishing another giggle out of Robin.

* * *

"You seem to have ran into some sort of problem, Miss Navigator." Robin inquired as the crew settled down for dinner: Zoro and Sanji bickering away, doubtlessly about some random topic that the two disagreed on; Luffy stealing everyone's food and earning himself a scuffle involving Usopp and Chopper, the two signature chopsticks still sticking out of the reindeer's oddly colored blue nose; Franky didn't join them that night, probably tinkering away in his own room, creating one new gadget or another, Robin could never really tell what he's going to make or do.

"Well…" Nami admitted, setting down her utensils, with which she has been playing and prodding with her food. "I just have a bad feeling, I can't really grasp it."

"Don't be worried, Nami-swaaaaannnnnn. I'll be there to protect you!" Sanji butted in, taking a small break from his argument with Zoro.

"Shut up, you pervy cook."

"EEEEHHH?"

Just like that, the two rivals are back at it, resulting in two tussles in the kitchen.

Not sparing them a second glance, Nami turned to Robin, seemingly back to her normal self. "Well! I'm sure it's nothing, it's just a feeling." Robin had to force a convincing enough smile, she didn't think it was "just a feeling", lately, she has been restless too, something, though she isn't sure what it is, worried her.

* * *

Later that night, Robin stayed up as she normally does, losing herself in the endless knowledge that books provide before going to sleep. However, Nami's words troubled her.

"What if something bad does happen?" She wondered aloud, believing that everyone else has gone to sleep, though that turned out to not be the case that night.

"We are pirates, we have enemies, bad things are going to happen no matter how you think about it. You have two choices, Robin, either get used to it or quit." The voice pierced through the darkness like an arrow, coming from the direction of the entrance to the study. Instinctively, Robin's hands crossed and she was ready to say the words if the need arises. However, her hands dropped almost immediately when she recognized the voice as that of the green-haired swordsman. She didn't say anything in return, and after a while, when it seemed that he had went off to take first watch, silent as a cat, she blew out the lamp and made her way across the deck to the women's dorm, where she climbed into bed, careful not to awaken Nami. Closing her eyes and slowly drifting off, she realized that she actually quite liked the feel of her name on his tongue, as opposed to "that woman", he has been addressing her like such more frequently recently, and though she probably won't ever tell him… she liked it. As she slowly faded away into the dream world, the last thought in her head was, 'I wonder if his hair is soft…'

* * *

'What is that woman up to…?' Roronoa Zoro wondered as he took first watch, casting his eyes out over the vast expanse of water that is the most dangerous ocean in the world. Things seemed strangely calm that night, with the moon's reflection dancing on the waves and the stars twinkling overhead. Nico Robin has always been somewhat of a mystery to Zoro, who has never trusted her much until this point. Taking her history and abilities into account, she becomes one of the most dangerous and unpredictable people that rides aboard the Going-, the Thousand Sunny. She doesn't seem like a threat anymore, not with her declaration at Enies Lobby: I want to live! Take me out to sea with you! However, Zoro still hasn't made up his mind about the archeologist, and he never stops wondering what she may do next.

She is a curious thing, that's all he can say regarding Robin. True, suspicion had taken up a big portion of how Zoro felt about her before, but he found that recently, that feeling had dwindled, to be replaced by something gentler but no less inquiring: curiosity. This was new to him. He has never really been "curious" about anything. Yes, he is always on the lookout for a strong opponent and would always be keen on testing out the skills of a fellow swordsman, but curious? He can't think of a scenario in which he was genuinely curious. Heck, even now, it's more of a dull and dormant tingling in the back of his mind when he isn't paying attention. He contemplated it for a while, only half heartedly looking out for any signs of danger, and shrug it off at last, after deciding that it was nothing special and that he needn't worry about it.

Looking back out the window at the sparkling field of water below him, Zoro quickly left Robin behind as his mind wandered once again to swords and becoming the strongest.

* * *

 _I lied, I'm back._

 _My chapters are all going to be around one to two thousand words, sorry about the shortness ;-; idk how to write really long ones. For people who are reading, thank you once again for reading and I wholeheartedly hope you enjoy 3 I'll do my absolute best in the upcoming ones!_


	3. The World Is Your Enemy

_Hi! I'm back. Yes, annoying me, I know._

 _Well, before you start the third chapter, I need to say one thing: fluff comes a lot later. I'm the kind of person that wants to write about fluff but always feels like it's too rushed, so there's no actual fluff until like, chapter 18 -_- sorry..._

 _Well, now that's out of the way, STORY TIME!_

* * *

 ** _The World Is Your Enemy_**

Somewhere along the Grand Line, the World Government held a meeting on a certain island, discussing the events of Enies Lobby and fussing over the defeat of CP9 when they were interrupted by a certain stranger.

A few Shichibukai, including Bartholomew Kuma, the only one to be considered faithful to the government, and the ever solitary Dracule Mihawk, current holder of the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman", were present at the time of the incident.

The shrill whistle of wind brought about by the blade was heard before the sword or its wielder presented themselves. A few of the marines in the room, along with all the Shichibukai present, were able to jump out of harm's way in the nick of time, or, in some cases, simply leaned back and somehow evaded the attack entirely. However, most didn't escape a cruel fate. Those who have braved the battlefield for decades drew out their weapons, ever alert for any signs of the one who had launched the sudden attack, some knew who it was, but they didn't want to believe it. This was someone dangerous beyond belief. This was someone whose skills with a sword are, though still quite a distance away from number one, widely accepted as the second best in the world.

"What business do you have with the World Government?" A brave soldier dared to call into the night, though his voice shook uncontrollably.

"I have a simple inquiry to make." The voice was whispery, barely there, but filling the entire room. This man was nowhere and everywhere. "Fulfill this request and I spare the world." Shivers crawled down the spines of everyone in the room, except, perhaps, the Shichibukai.

"State your request." A marine called out, an experienced one, whose voice stayed firm despite the fear planted into his very soul.

"I'm looking for a man. A man who is possibly on the same path as you pathetic marines," the faces of quite a few officers reddened in anger upon hearing the seemingly casual accusation, if it wasn't for the fact that they knew the potentials of this man, they would have attacked already.

"I suppose you want us to capture this 'man'." The officer who demanded to know the stranger's cause said, with a slight tone of mocking. Obviously, he wanted to say: if you're so high and mighty, why are you asking us "pathetic marines" to help you?

This was a mistake, almost the last one he ever made. Another devastating attack sliced its way through the room, aiming for the officer and mercilessly cutting down everyone and everything in its path. However, just a few centimeters away from its target, the strike was knocked down by a casual flick of a certain Shichibukai's hand. This brought about another monstrous gust of wind that soared through the room, catching the stranger's attack right in its vulnerability and shoving it through the wall, almost bringing down the entire building. This didn't spare any of the marines unfortunate enough to be standing in the way of both blasts, but it seemed that neither swordsmen cared very much.

"Dracule Mihawk," The voice mused. "You live up to your name."

The officer, whose face had turned pale as a ghost and had sweat sliding down just about every inch of his body, opened his mouth, though no sound but a pitiful whimper escaped.

"Before you ask again. Yes, I want you to catch this man for me, and seeing as he seeks to wield the blade of absolute justice, I believe you'll have a easier time… let's say, convincing, him than I would."

"Why?" Kuma, who has stayed silent thus far, suddenly inquired.

"I'm not obligated to tell you," no reaction from Kuma. "But I suppose you should know." Several moments of absolute silence passed as the marines held their breath, waiting for the reason this man had come to them. "Let's say that he has ties to someone that I seek to destroy, and I believe that if I can get the bait, I'll catch the fish." The man was so casual about all of this, about the destruction of another, about the merciless use of different people to get what he wants.

"And who may that be?" Another marine called out, his sword grasped in both hands, shaking from head to toe. It seems that it took all of his strength and will power to simply remain standing in the presence of one so horrifically cruel and powerful.

"Maybe Hawk Eyes can tell you." At this, all eyes turned to the wielder of Yoru, who, quite ironically, was the only one in the room to not have a reaction. "I've heard that this man has encountered him before."

"I do not remember every insect I crush." Mihawk stated, his tone flat, not changing one bit under the pressuring gaze of every person in the room.

"What a pity," the man said, feigning disappointment. "I was so sure you would remember him, the one with the green hair. Perhaps that rings a bell?" Once again, Mihawk had absolutely no reaction to this obvious hint, though he did remember that swordsman, the one that aspired to surpass him and become the best.

"Him. Yes, as it so happens, I do remember."

"Who is it?" A curious young marine asked, only to be cut down seconds later by the stranger. Mihawk didn't even bother to look at him, much less save him from the bloodstained blade of another.

They say curiosity killed the cat.

"Why not immediately go after him? Why go through all the trouble with the bait?"

"Because, what fun is there in catching your prey and not toying with it?" The absolute cruelty of this man shook people down to their very core, and a few inexperienced marines fell on the spot, their legs giving out beneath them, some were even rendered unconscious from fear. "Also because you marines would have no way of catching him, he is part of a quite infamous pirate crew that had escaped your grasp for almost a year. What gives you pathetic morons the idea that you can possibly catch him?" This was stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, once again marking the marines as idiots. A few people scowled at this, but most didn't dare move a muscle.

'By turning this man against you, your enemy has become more than just me. It has become the world.' Mihawk mused to himself, ignoring the existence of basically everyone else in the room and recalling the strong willed swordsman whom he had cut down back in the East Blue.

"The one I am after, Saga, has childhood ties to a certain pirate with a 120 million beli bounty on his head, as well as being a crucial member of the Strawhats," the stranger continued, though most have guessed the identity of this mysterious target at this point. "This man is the bait to the absolute destruction of Roronoa Zoro."

* * *

 _Hehe cliffhanger, the reasons shall be revealed later, *insert evil laughter*._

 _One more thing before I stop bothering you._

 _*Deeeeeep breath* **PLEEEEAAAAASSSEEEE REEEEVVVIIIIIIEEEEEEEWWWWWWW** and tell me where I can improve._

 _Bye!_


	4. Be Warned

_Yes, **that** Saga. The Saga from Curse of the Holy Sword. I know it's not everyone's favorite One Piece movie, but I couldn't find anyone else who has childhood ties to Zoro. Well, the first person to come to mind is obviously Kuina, but she's... you know, dead. So yah, I'll try and write him well, though he doesn't have too big of a role in the story, so maybe you'll forgive me for writing him badly? Yah..._

 _One more thing, Zoro might seem a bit out of character sometimes, cuz that guy is like frickin' hard to write. I mean, how do you capture his personality perfectly? He's Zoro! (As you can probably tell, he is my favorite character)._

 _Anyway, enough of my blabbering, here's the fourth chapter._

* * *

 ** _Be Warned_**

Saga turned and ran. He knows that the man knows he's been listening in. He just revealed all his plans to his prey, what is the meaning of this…? Well, he can't hesitate, he has to do something, warn him, get a message through to him, anything! Zoro was the one that unbound him from the curse of the sword, the one that gave him back his soul, and now he's in danger. Danger greater than anyone can ever imagine. So with his sword dangling at his side, Saga ran to find his friend.

* * *

Days later, Saga was floating through the ocean on a simple raft, scrambling to keep it from sinking as it battled the unpredictable waters. They knew he was there, the man, Mihawk, Kuma, but they said nothing. Why not? Is it really as the man said, did he really love toying with his prey so much? At the thought, a shiver crawled down Saga's spine, and he pulled the sail of the small, battered raft to its full potential. If only he knew where the Strawhats were.

* * *

After a few more days of aimless floating, the raft finally came ashore on a small island, and as soon as Saga hopped off, a wave crashed into the beach and dismembered the raft instantly. He shuddered, glad that he had gotten off before it had done the same to him.

Climbing up the hill and onto the island, Saga scaled a tree and looked around, finding the island deserted and completely isolated. Slightly discouraged, he reached into his belt and plucked out a small dagger. It was a simple dagger, a small blade, nothing special about it, but to him, it represented a promise. On the handle, roughly carved into the wood, was the name "Zoro". They had sworn that they would each reach their goal and that they would not give up until they have. Zoro was going to be the greatest swordsman in the world, and he was to take up the blade of absolute justice, and right now, both of those dreams were in considerable peril.

Sliding back onto the ground, Saga meandered around the the island, hoping to find at least one living soul, but with no luck. However, he did come across a pile of fruits that someone had seemed to gathered, and within that pile was a certain fruit that had quite a unique look to it. When he picked it up, it also sported a very strange texture. Not giving it much thought, Saga sighed and sat down, took a bite into it, and immediately realized his mistake.

* * *

"He can try. If I'm going to surpass Mihawk, he's someone I'll have to beat."

"I'm telling you, that man is dangerous."

"I suppose I'll just have to train harder then."

"Zoro-"

"Saga, if I'm going to become the best, I'll have to bring down everyone in my way, that's just how it is."

There was no stopping Zoro now that he has made up his mind, Saga knew that, he had been this stubborn ever since they were kids. Heaving a sigh, Saga stood up, Zoro following a second later, and headed for the door, side by side, shoulder to shoulder.

Upon the door opening, the first thing to come into sight was Luffy's straw hat slowly drifting onto the floor. It was followed by the captain himself, literally falling from the mast intending to grab his hat, only to miss and slam into the deck of the Sunny, crushing the hat along with a certain portion of the wooden floor (this later led to a panicked Franky, who had quite a good time yelling at Luffy for hurting the precious ship).

Exchanging a look, the two swordsmen sighed and simultaneously walked around Luffy, Zoro giving his captain a look that much too clearly said: you're hopeless. Shaking his head, the green-haired swordsman turned to his friend. "Now that you're here, what do you plan on doing?"

"I can't stay, he's after me, staying will only put your crew in danger."

"This man?"

"Zoro, he's dangerous. I'm not going to try and change your mind about fighting him, but he _is_ the second best."

"I understand."

"And keep in mind, he has an active bounty of over a billion belis." At this, even Zoro's eyebrows shot up. A billion. That number is something beyond the comprehension of most people, it seems like this really is going to be a perilous foe to face.

"Who is this man?" Zoro asked, curious and slightly thrilled about this opponent. He understood that in his current state, he won't be able to take on this man, in fact, they wouldn't have exchanged ten blows before he is completely stepped on. He supposed that's where motivation came from.

"I think it's best if you don't know." Saga mumbled, shaking his head, his long, silver hair quivering slightly in the wind. "The less you know about this man, the better." A frown knitted Zoro's brows together upon hearing this, what does he mean "the less you know about this man, the better"? If this is an opponent he'll have to cut down, wouldn't it be better to know him well? To examine his skills and find ways to train himself to counter it, but if Saga refused to spill, Zoro didn't have any way to make him do that, their stubbornness is fairly similar in that regard.

"Well," Saga half sighed. "I'd better get going. Zoro," he said just once more before hopping off onto his small boat. "Be warned."

* * *

 _Another short chapter... Sorry. I promise there'll be longer ones in the future ;-;_

 _ALSO, if you decide to leave a REVIEW, maybe I'll be happier and write longer ones (evil face)_

 _You get the point, please leave a review *puppy dog eyes*. Come on, how can you ignore those eyes? You can? Well... still leave a review._

 _That's it, I'll lea- oh look puppies! *runs off*_


	5. The World Government Moves

_Do I update too fast?_

 _Well, if I do, sorry, but I'll keep doing it this way xP_

 _Anyway, this is the... *checks* fifth! chapter! Yayyyyy._

 _Also, thank you for your kind reviews! They always motivate me and then I wanna improve as much as possible so that my readers will enjoy the story :3. Speaking of which, enjoy!_

* * *

 _The story will now take place after the adventures of Fishermen Island and the defeat of Hody Jones..._

 ** _The_ _World Government Moves_**

"For the sake of the world, we have to catch this man." A marine commander told his troops on the training field. "If he truly wants to bring justice to the world, he _will_ yield." Pumping his fist in the air, the commander cried, "FOR JUSTICE!"

"Justice! Justice! Justice! Justice!" The marines chanted, stomping their feet in perfect unison with every word. The field shook with the voices of hundreds of soldiers, and all the individuals gathered there that day truly believed that in doing this, they were protecting the world and its people from a cruel and bloodthirsty man.

* * *

"I have to say, it's quite surprising that you bothered to show yourself voluntarily before me." A voice mused. "You've become quite infamous for your poor attendance and complete ignorance of the world."

"I was bored. Now intrigue me before I decide to find some other place to kill my time and have some fun."

"And here I thought you came voluntarily, is that the tone to use when talking to someone whom you wish to do something for you?"

"Well, I was expecting it to be more fun, but I supposed I picked the wrong person." Footsteps echoed, it seemed like the owner of the nonchalant voice was really leaving of pure boredom. However, he was soon stopped.

"What is your relationship with Roronoa?"

"He is simply another swordsman who wishes to surpass me, I see him as no better than you and you no better than him."

"Oh?" The owner of the first voice attempted to sound interested, but even he cannot hide his disdain at being compared to a man he despised to the end of the Earth and back. "Are you stating that if an ant challenged you to a sword fight, we would be no better than a bug?"

"Quite."

"And how, exactly, do we elevate ourselves in your high and mighty eyes?" The man was speaking through gritted teeth now, visibly trying to control his rage.

"By surpassing me."

"Oh, I will. One day, I _will_ defeat you. Not only that, but be assured, I will kill you in the most agonizing way possible."

"You are boring me."

With footsteps lighter than that of a cat, the second man strode out the cave, not bothered in the slightest by the threat. To him, to the best in the world, all threats are empty until the speaker makes it come true. This left the first man seething behind him, and with a roar that shook the cave and the glinting of metal, he lunged.

The clashing of two legendary swords split the cave in half.

* * *

 _Roughly a day earlier..._

The Gorosei were gathered in the vast lobby of the World Government building, discussing the terms and conditions that the strange man had presented and the consequences of refusal.

"We do not have a choice, we cannot let a monster like him wreak havoc upon the world."

"How do we know he will not destroy the world anyway even if we fulfill his request?"

"We do not."

"What do you suggest we do."

"We capture him."

"How?"

At the mention of the most obvious problem, the Lobby sank into a state of absolute silence, so quiet that the fall of a feather would sound thunderous. Each of the Gorosei sank deep into thought as they contemplated the matter. This man was strong, he isn't someone that a random trooper or rookie can take down, in order to capture him… Even a Shichibukai may not be enough, this man wields one of the Saijou Oowaza-mono, and his skills with it are beyond the reach of average individuals. His skills with it are even considered legendary, similar to that of…

Five voices sounded simultaneously, "Mihawk."

Thus, a summoning was issued to the Greatest Swordsman in the World, to capture his current most dangerous rival.

* * *

 _Presently..._

The cursed blade and the black blade each showcased their power in different ways as the fight progressed. The Kitetsu, though small, but being wielded by one of the strongest combined with the initial potential of the katana itself, single handedly held off the long, curved, jet-black blade of Yoru. Yoru, on the other hand, with its wielder being Dracule Mihawk, was capable of attacking at lightning speeds while leaving no openings for the opponent.

After just seconds, the two swordsmen have exchanged at least five dozen blows, and both leapt backwards, neither panting or even remotely worn out.

"You live up to your name." The two great sword wielders complimented at the same time.

"Heh," the man smirked, "glad to know you think so." At the word "think", he has leapt off the ground, the Kitetsu seeming to slice through the air itself, and at the word "so", the katana was whistling downwards, aiming to take down the world's greatest.

"You really do seem to cut the air," Mihawk mused, a corresponding smirk spreading across his features. "Wind Cutter Noroi."

* * *

The result of the fight came hours after the summoning reached Mihawk, with him once again emerging victorious. However, the swordsman did not bother to capture or even tie up his rival, he simply left him in the cave, defeated and utterly crestfallen, strapped Yoru to his back, now glinting with freshly shed blood, and padded out of the cave.

"You have remarkable talent. Such a pity that you're nothing but a baboon."

With the dispatching of Dracule Mihawk, the World Government had made its move, and it was the wrong one.

* * *

 _Yes, I do seem very fond of cliffhangers and setting up chapters. This is another kind of short one, but be assured, there are long ones coming :3_

 _This is another one of those chapters that I write to set up for the plot later on, so it doesn't really include the Strawhats, I don't think the next chapter does either, but they'll come out soon enough :P_

 _Anyway, that's it, and you know what I'm going to say. Yes, please leave a review, I would really appreciate it :)_

 _Byeeeeeeeee._

 _P.S. The "man" referred to by the marine is Saga, since Noroi wanted him captured in order for him to "spare the world"._

 _P.P.S. I know this seems a bit rushed to set it just after they entered the New World, but I haven't gotten any further in the story and I don't want to risk messing something up like putting in attack names that are out of date. Hope you understand._


	6. Come Alone

_I want to thank **LilytheVillain** for her wonderful feedback and kind encouragement ❤️. I know it's boring to read set up chapters back to back, so I've decided to move the one originally planned to be here to somewhere else. So yay! The Strawhats are back and fine as ever! Speaking of the Strawhats, since I'm the kind of person that likes to focus on a few main characters, the others except Zoro and Robin might have smaller parts, and I'm sorry if that bothers you. I've tried to give them more scenes, but I just want you to know that they're kind of... nonexistent sometimes ;-;_

 _Aaaaaanyway, I'm done blabbering, enjoy._

* * *

 ** _Come Alone_**

Zoro allowed himself a nap after hours of intense training, and didn't have much trouble drifting off. However, he was destined to not be able to enjoy this nap, for it was soon disrupted by a dagger flying towards him at seemingly the speed of sound. Doing some quick calculations based on the sound of the wind, Zoro didn't even flinch as the dagger lodged itself in the wood just centimeters above his head, taking off a few strands of his light green hair. Though something did bother him. Judging from the speed of the blade and the way it flew, the size and shape greatly resembled the one that he exchanged with Saga when they were children. Cracking open his eye, Zoro looked up at the blade, and couldn't hide his surprise when he recognized it as indeed the very same one. Reaching up, he plucked it from its perch and flipped it in order to examine it properly. Everything seemed fine, until his eye reached the handle, and widened in disbelief.

Tied to the wooden handle of the dagger, was a vivre card, one with Saga's name roughly scribbled on it, and it was burning. On the back of the small piece of paper, a message was written in substance that seemed a bit too much like blood.

"Come, Roronoa, alone. Or else the lives of these two will not be spared."

Getting onto his feet, he looked up at the ocean in the direction which the card pointed, and took one step before remembering to alert Luffy. During the short days of Saga's stay, Luffy had bonded with him to some extent, and Zoro hoped that his captain would understand enough to allow him to go. Sliding down the rope ladder and onto the deck, Zoro barged into the kitchen and gave him a rough run through of the situation before leaving, of course, without Luffy's permission.

His captain had, as usual, immediately insisted that the entire crew go ahead and help Zoro's friend, but was instantly rejected by his first mate.

"It told me to go alone, or else whoever this is will surely kill them." Them, not him. The card had said "the lives of these two will not be spared". One of them is most definitely Saga, but Zoro had to wonder, who was the other… However, Luffy has always been just a bit too stubborn (though Zoro himself really isn't one to talk), and at the end, Zoro was only able to "convince" Luffy by dragging Chopper into the matter, who was actually quite good at making his patients stay still. The doctor had forced Luffy to rest due to the damage he received from his fight with Hody, and it took another lullaby from Brook before the captain finally yielded and was left in the men's dorm, snoring away.

* * *

Neither Chopper nor Brook were very keen on the idea of Zoro going alone to rescue Saga and this other hostage, and both wanted to accompany him, but a glare from the swordsman shut the two up, and they could only watch helplessly as he leapt off the side of the Sunny into a small rowboat.

"But Zoro, what if you get lost?" As he was getting ready to leave, Chopper finally voiced the concern that would surely cause the most hindrance on Zoro's journey.

"The vivre card should be more than enough to guide me." Zoro half growled as he stuck the dagger to the side of the boat with a flick of his wrist, the vivre card flapping wildly in the wind but staying attached to the handle, the script in blood flashing once in a while, as if to remind him of the consequences.

Still worried but having no way to stop him, Chopper and Brook watched glumly as their first mate disappeared into the distance, swallowed up by the thick fog that was starting to gather in the dawn's early light.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Nami asked as she emerged from the study, wearing a simple, blue crop top with the word "WAVES" written on it in bold, white letters and jean shorts with some small accessories dangling from the waist band ("NAMI-SWAAANNNNNN").

"OW! What's been going on around here?" Franky suddenly poked his head out of his invention room, startling everyone on the deck.

"But it's so early..." Usopp grumbled, climbing onto the deck as well.

"Zoro went off t-"

"Hey, where's Robin-Chan?" Sanji suddenly inquired, cutting Chopper off. "She should be here."

All too suddenly, reality donned on Chopper and Brook, and the duo had a panic attack on the spot. "ROBIN (-SAN)!"

Amongst all the confusion before, no one had noticed the disappearance of the archeologist, or had just assumed that she was engrossed in a book somewhere, but of course, Sanji wasn't one to let the absence of a beautiful lady escape his eyes. Upon hearing about the situation, his immediate reaction was quite expected, as he burst into flames and rushed for the side of the Sunny, seemingly about to jump into the water and swim after the lady, not like anyone could stop him, with that wall of fire that he somehow constructs around himself.

 _A sliver of movement, a whistle of wind._

A sword protruded from Sanji's shoulder, forcing him back from the water with force so great that it sent him stumbling onto the ground.

"DOCTOR, SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!" The youngest member of the Strawhats took no time in starting to freak, and only after reminders from the entire crew did he remember that he was the doctor, and that he should be tending to Sanji as opposed to having a panic attack.

Scrambling over to the cook, Chopper first applied some ointments to stop the bleeding before slowly but firmly urging the sword out. Once it was safely out of Sanji's shoulder, he absentmindedly threw it to the side and started applying medicine and bandaging Sanji's wound, until a sudden sharp intake of breath from Brook stopped him in the middle of his work.

"What is it?"

"This… this katana…" Brook's voice trembled as he pointed to the bloodstained sword laying on the lawn of the Sunny. "Z-Zoro-San…"

The katana gleaming in the rising sunlight was none other than Zoro's very own Wado Ichimonji. A message was burned into the gleaming metal, and the light of dawn only gave it the appearance of having burst into flames.

"I told Roronoa to come alone, seems like he listened."

* * *

 _Once again, the characters may seem a bit OOC since I'm not sure how to write them, especially Franky, he's always been a pretty distant character for me, and I really don't understand him. So, sorry about that..._

 _For the people who noticed, yes, Nami's shirt has "WAVES" on it because "nami" means "wave" in Japanese :P._

 _But yah, this is another chapter, hope you enjoyed, **leave a review** , bye!_


	7. He's Coming

_I shall waste no time in weird rambling stuff, so without further ado, here's another chapter!_

* * *

 _ **He's Coming**_

He seemed unharmed.

There was no trace of blood or injuries on him.

He carried her, with a severe expression on his face.

He didn't say what befell Saga, he simply called for the doctor.

"Chopper, take care of her."

And left to the dorm.

The Strawhats, well aware of Zoro's personality and know not to disturb him when he wishes to be alone, all stampeded after Chopper to watch Robin's treatment. Even Sanji didn't comment about Zoro allowing Robin to take damage.

"Everyone out." Chopper demanded almost instantly, using the tone of voice that takes over him when he is on duty as a doctor. All his usual childish nature and cuteness has deserted him, and before the Strawhats stood an experienced doctor about to treat his patient with the utmost care. "She has been exposed to large amounts of sea water for a long period of time, which is devastating to the body of a Devil Fruit user. I need to find some way to counter all the damage that she took, and I can't do that with you guys taking up the entire room. Out." Exchanging concerned glances, the Strawhats filed out one after another. Something was majorly wrong, they could tell from Chopper's tone and expression, it would be best to give him the space and time he requires to properly heal Robin.

Just as the group reached the door, the reindeer spoke again. "Oh, and someone check up on Zoro, something doesn't feel right. His katana was thrown back just minutes after his departure, and he isn't someone that would lose his swords easily, especially that one. Something is definitely wrong, but I'm occupied with Robin right now, so someone else will have to make sure that he's fine." Not saying another word, Chopper turned back to Robin and began working on a counterattack for the large amounts of sea water absorbed by her body. He was aware of the soft click of the door as the last of his nakama left the room, and all of his focus honed in on his current patient.

"Let's see now…" For the next day and night, Chopper would stay in his room with Robin, working to stabilize her condition before exposing her to the fiery concoction that he'd created to filter out the salt water.

* * *

Some time during the day, Luffy had woken up and was given the gist of the situation by Nami, and for the remainder of the day and night, sat by himself on the head of the Sunny. Though worried sick about his nakama, Luffy, along with all other Strawhats, were prohibited from entering Chopper's room until further notice. His attention was also diverted by Zoro, who has stay in the men's dorm all day, not even up in the crow's nest to train, and that bothered as well as scared the crew more than anything else.

* * *

By lunch the next day, Chopper finally came out of his room, declaring that Robin has been stabilized and that she should be fine after at least a week's worth of rest. At around the same time, Zoro also emerged with a heavy air of exhaustion about him.

The crew has only seen Zoro look this exhausted once before, that being at Sabaody Archipelago, where his injuries from Thriller Bark pushed him far, far beyond his limits. Naturally, this alarmed the crew greatly, especially Usopp and Brook, who witnessed his pain and disappearance first hand.

* * *

Zoro looked horrible, his green hair was tousled and a mess, his clothes rumpled, his katanas were not by his side, and dark circles were plastered under his eyes. Pressing the heel of his right hand to his forehead, the swordsman closed his eye, only to force it open again just seconds later. Looking up, he spotted his prized katana, still laying on its side on the lawn, Sanji's blood dried and crusted on the blade.

Instinctively, Zoro bent and picked it up, concern for his treasure written all across his face as he padded back into his room, where he rummaged through his drawers, finally pulling out a plain, slightly rusted metal box. Flipping open the lid, he took out the cleaning equipment and settled down to return the Ichimonji to its former glory.

* * *

Chopper, though quite tired himself, was once again overtaken by the instincts of a doctor to look after the sick, and followed Zoro into his room, only to find the swordsman fast asleep with the three katanas next to his bed, perfectly clean and shining in the light of the afternoon sun. Hopping onto his bed, Chopper gave Zoro a thorough check up, and found absolutely no external injuries. However, what worried Chopper was what he found when taking the swordsman's pulse and heartbeat, for both were way off the charts, suggesting the possibility of internal injuries.

The doctor took out his medical kit and set to work making sure that none of Zoro's organs were seriously injured, though he felt the possibility was slim. When he started, Chopper fully expected damage to quite a few of his innards, due to the absolute erratic pattern of Zoro's pulse and heartbeat, what he found was at best interesting and at most very, very bad. No matter how hard he looked, Chopper could only find the slightest hints of injuries, and there was no internal bleeding, or any blood at all, for that matter, to support his theory. Concerned, confused, but giving in to the facts, Chopper sighed and left Zoro alone. Back in his own room, he contemplated the matter.

'It should be impossible for him to be almost completely unharmed like this. His heart rate is stumbling and shows the signs of a severely injured individual, but I cannot find a single scratch on him. When I looked for anything internal, it pretty much yielded no results. Unless I had done something wrong when taking his heart rate, which I shouldn't, all of this seems much too suspicious. What worries me most is the fact that he didn't even wake up when I checked on him, and the Zoro that I know would have awoken the second I walked in. He isn't training either. Even after Thriller Bark, he would spend long hours honing his body in the crow's nest, just what in the world is happening…?'

Heaving another sigh, Chopper turned to Robin to find her watching him with wide eyes.

"Robin! You're awake!" Giddy with excitement and happy that his medicine had worked, Chopper bounded over to the archeologist and enveloped her in a fuzzy embrace as she sat up, earning a small chuckle in reply.

"It would seem so, you truly are an amazing doctor."

At her words, Chopper immediately started doing his happy dance, all the while repeating "Praising me doesn't make me happy at all, you bastard." Though he really was happy, he loves it when people praise him, especially when the topic at hand has to do with anything medical.

* * *

Robin was worried, she can't remember much of what happened when she was taken hostage, but she definitely remembered the clashing of swords, the spraying of some warm and sticky liquid, which, now that she thought about it, was most likely blood. She was then submerged in the what she supposed was the sea, completely helpless and unable to move or speak. She remembered thinking: I'm going to die. I don't want to die.

She was faintly aware of another presence beside her, also sinking, sinking, sinking. Another Devil Fruit user, it seems. It was when she began losing consciousness as well as hope, that someone saved them both. From glimpses between moments of consciousness and unconsciousness was she able to finally piece together that it was Zoro who had given them the chance to continue living. Once on land, tiny snippets of a conversation had floated into her ears as she struggled to remain awake.

 _"You lost."_

 _"I know."_

 _"Torture...nice..."_

 _"Do not... mess...nakama...again"_

 _"Yes...torture."_

 _"Swear it."_

 _"...swear..."_

 _"Not on the back."_

 _"...beggars can't be choosers..."_

 _"Do not...back...treatment to anything...do."_

 _"Hmm."_

One thing she did remember later was panting, heavy, heavy panting by someone who was obviously seriously damaged, but she couldn't grasp who it was. From there on in, she remembered nothing else after being finally rendered unconscious due to large amounts of exposure to the weakness of all Devil Fruit users.

* * *

Now she was back, back on the Thousand Sunny, being taken care of by Chopper, and everything seemed to be normal. But that can't be it. Something was wrong, very wrong. What is it?

"If it's fine with you, doctor, I would like to get some fresh air." Robin told the reindeer. It was only partly true, she wanted to get fresh air after being inside for so long, yes, but she also wanted to check on someone.

Chopper hesitated, unsure of whether she will be able to handle going outside so soon, but decided that she is more than capable of taking care of herself.

"Alright, but come right back inside if anything seems even slightly out of the ordinary." He emphasized before opening the door and allowing Robin outside, where she was immediately greeted by her crewmates, with the exception of Zoro, which further confirmed her suspicions and gave her just one more reason to worry. As she flipped through her brain to find a believable excuse to leave, Robin noticed that Sanji seemed to be a bit agitated and kept shooting daggers at her eventual destination, what happened this time...

Quickly finding one to pull away, Robin moved towards the dorm, only wanting to check if he's ok with her ability. Pressing her back against the door, Robin sprouted an ear inside the room, and immediately caught the sound of panting.

Alarmed and nervous, she wasted no time in knocking on the door. "May I come in, Kenshi-San?" Receiving no response, she eased open the door to find Zoro sitting on the edge of his bed, katana in hand, and casually cleaning it with great care and gentleness. At her entrance, he looked up, his eye locking with hers, it had its normal fire and severity, almost convincing her that she had misheard, but then he spoke, and his voice was more than enough to betray how his body is really holding up.

"You were there, did you hear him?"

"No, what did he say."

"He's coming, and I'm putting the crew in danger."

* * *

 _Now we all know something is very wrong with Zoro! Yaaayyyyy..._

 _Before anyone asks, yes, I feel evil doing this, but I do it anyway, just because..._

 _Also, am I the only one that finds it weird writing about Zoro's eye in singular form? I mean, he only has one..._

 _I left out a part where Sanji went to check on Zoro but got kicked out, so that's why he was kind of grumpy. I didn't put the actual thing in cuz it seemed a bit out of place. But yah, that's it. Bye._

 _P. S. GASP I FORGOT TO SAY: PLEEEEEAAAAAAASSSEEEE REVIIIEEEEEWWWWWWW_

 _Nowillleaveforgoodbye._


	8. What It Means To Protect

_Warning! Warning! Short chapter ahead! Short chapter ahead!_

 _Haha, yah... sorry... really short chapter :P, but don't worry, the next one will be the longest one by far ;)_

 _Anyway, so I just realized that the Strawhats don't have separate rooms and that there's just a men's dorm and a women's dorm... gotta go back and change that now ;-; oh well_

 _Welp, here's another chapter, I might update tomorrow to make up for the extreme shortness, we'll see._

* * *

 _ **What It Means To Protect**_

"Why did you risk yourself like that?" This would be the fifth time that Robin has asked this question, but he would answer the same way every time.

"You are nakama."

"Zoro… you could have died."

"But I didn't, did I." He was back up in the crow's nest, and she with him. This was no reassurance that he had recovered from whatever had happened, but at least it was comforting to see that he had settled back into his routine of training and napping.

However, the amount of effort he had to put into lifting has noticeably risen after the incident, and he would seem to get worn out appreciably faster, needing to take much more frequent breaks in between. This rose a sense of unmistakable guilt within her, as well as something else she couldn't quite put her fingers around. She wanted to comfort him, do something for him, the sensation even going as far as making her want to wrap her arms around him. What is this?

He was sitting again, a towel draped around his neck, eyes closed, breathing slightly heavy but even, and he looked… peaceful. Robin was mesmerized by this new look, and she sat watching him from across the room, just the way she did two years ago.

Enies Lobby. That seems like such a long time ago, a lifetime ago, in fact. How has it been that long already? She has been through so much with this group, and discovered pieces of the real history along the way. As a Strawhat, she supposed that…

Her thought process was interrupted by a low groan, followed by muffled sounds that she quickly distinguished as coughing. Snapped out of her head, her eyes darted to the swordsman, and found him with his hand over his mouth, his powerful body wracked by sudden bursts of pain and fatigue.

"Zor-" She started to get up and go to him when he cut her off.

"Hey," his tone was surprisingly gentle when he spoke to her. "Hey." Lowering his hand, he took a few deep breaths before continuing, his voice hardening back into steel. "I'm fine." His head was hanging, almost as if he didn't have the energy required to lift it, and his body shook ever so slightly, so much so that if one doesn't look closely, they wouldn't see it.

"No. You're not." Robin doesn't usually disagree with anyone unless she found it absolutely necessary. Especially with Zoro, the two are considered the more… not sane, but mature, ones of the Strawhats, resulting in similar enough thought processes and mutual agreement as well as respect. In fact, she can only recall one instance in which they had a disagreement, that being when she had to stop him from rashly jumping out of the coating of the Sunny thousands of meters underwater. If she hadn't… well, to say it bluntly, he would have died an agonizing death crushed by the water pressure. "What happened. What's wrong?" She's not a woman of many words, but she believed that she had conveyed her meaning clearly enough

He stayed quiet, turning his head away. So he's not going to tell her, well, she supposed she'll just have to take it slow.

"Why not."

"I can't. You don't get it, you don't understand the danger I'm putting everyone in by simply being aboard this ship."

"Then help me to."

"I can't."

"Why not."

"I-"

"Zoro, it's stupid to bear a burden alone, especially one that concerns this crew. You're the one that's not understanding, you idiot. There are some things that we just can't do alone." At this, she got up from her perch and migrated across the room to his, settling down beside him a comfortable distance away. "Believe me, I understand this more than anyone else, I understand the feeling of 'I'm putting them in danger', or have you forgotten?" He shook his head, though a minuscule movement, it signified that he hadn't forgotten the time they had made the world their enemy. "Zoro." He still wouldn't look at her.

Robin proceeded to sprout a hand out of Zoro's shoulder and force him to face her, to her surprise, he didn't fight back all that much.

"I'm going to ask one more time. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Zoro. This isn't what it means to protect."

* * *

 _Mwahaha more evilness, but hey, at least there's some little hints of Zorobin fluff, so forgive me? *puppy dog eyes*_

 _I'm hungry so I'm gonna go eat food now, bye!_

 _btwleaveareviewpleasethankyou:3_


	9. Becoming A Demon

_Heya! I'm back! I didn't post this chapter earlier cuz I got kinda lazy (im sowwy), but here it is now, and it's the longest chapter by far, though not the longest chapter to come, so be prepared for longer ones! Though that isn't gonna come until much later... well aaaaaaanywaaaaayyyyyy, enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Becoming A Demon**_

" _This isn't what it means to protect."_

The words echoed in his ears day and night alike. "What it means to protect". What does it mean to protect? How does one protect? Sitting by himself at the window of the crow's nest, Zoro had an iron dumbbell in his left hand, rhythmically pumping his arm up and down.

'Wanting to protect my nakama, is that wrong?'

Heaving a sigh, Zoro released the dumbbell and let it roll onto the ground, clinking and clanking as it went. Closing his eye, Zoro continued to contemplate the matter. He knows that sometimes, he can't see the errors in his ways, he can be rash, be worrisome, but he can't help it, he just wants to protect the ones who mean something to him.

" _You're weak as usual, Zoro."_

He made a promise, he swore that he would become stronger, that he would carry her spirit and become so strong that his name reaches the heavens, either as a saint or as a devil. In order to do that, he would give up anything.

" _When I decided to become the greatest swordsman in the world, I already discarded my life."_

In order to accomplish his goal, he would do anything, he would do things that turn the entirety of society against him, things that strike fear into people's hearts the moments they hear the name Roronoa Zoro.

But in the past years, he found something that meant more than that. He found nakama. Sure, he was practically forced to join the crew, as it was that or die by the hands of a spoiled brat, but things have changed. He cannot become the strongest if he cannot protect his captain, he crew, his friends.

" _It seems you have found something more important than your ambition."_

He has by no means discarded that dream, in fact, it has only grown stronger alongside him, and as he brought down swordsman after swordsman in his path, that dream expanded, and his ambition soared. He is fully aware that he is still far, far away from being the best, that surpassing Dracule Mihawk will be the hardest thing he'll ever have to do, but he would do it. He would do it, because he can't let her down.

Reopening his eye, Zoro ran a hand through his hair, rendering it ruffled and messy, not that he minded. Standing up, he took all but one step when a tingling sensation shuddered through his body, and his head snapped around to look out the window. Sure enough, a ship has just begun to emerge from the mist. "Luffy!" He called out the window, not bothering to give his captain the specific situation, after all, Luffy also had full control of his Observation Haki, he'll understand.

"Got it!" Came the reply, and Zoro spotted his captain on the head of the Sunny (his "special seat", he calls it) with eyes locked on the incoming ship. As it drew slightly closer, Zoro's focus honed in on it, and quickly identified it as a marine ship, though strangely enough, it was the only one.

'A patrol ship?' He wondered as he slid down onto the deck, where all nine Strawhats have gathered, Robin too, much to Chopper's displeasure.

"EEEEHHHHHHHHH?!" The sudden outburst from Usopp, who had possession of the telescope, brought all eyes to him, only to find him panicked and scrambling around the deck. "A-a-a-a-a-a-"

"What is it, Usopp?" Luffy asked, cocking his head so that the top is pretty much parallel to the ground, well, Zoro supposed he can do that, his neck _is_ made of rubber.

"ADMIRAL!"

"HUUUUUHHHHHH?!" Suddenly, the telescope was the center of attention, as everyone was fighting to get a good look at the admiral in question, everyone except the cook, the navigator, the archeologist and the swordsman, who were not interested in the least in getting involved in a brawl at the moment. Speaking of the telescope, the poor thing was being tossed around like a football, sometimes in the hands of one member, and sometimes in the hands of another, it's a wonder it didn't break.

Sparing a glance at the approaching ship, Zoro's eye narrowed. "This is no time to be arguing. They're coming."

At his stern words, the fight finally broke apart, with the telescope ending up in the possession of their captain, who immediately put it to use and went ahead by pressing it to his eye… backwards. Sighing in annoyance, Nami walked over, smacked Luffy on the head, and flipped the telescope for him. However, as soon as Luffy seemed to get a good look at whoever was onboard, the telescope fell from his hands. As it plummeted towards the water, it was narrowly saved by Usopp, who was in turn grabbed by Franky to keep _him_ from falling alongside the object.

"Oi Luffy, what was that?" Usopp asked, tucking the telescope away after being safely set down on the Sunny.

"A-Akainu."

* * *

The Strawhats' focus was immediately diverted to the ship, and finally, as it cleared the mist, everyone got a good look at who was standing at the head.

A marine jacket flapping in the wind, a cap pulled low over his face, his arms crossed, and with a look of absolute authority, Akainu of the marines stood aboard the ship quickly approaching the Thousand Sunny.

"Keep it together." Zoro ordered his captain, whose hands were curled into fists so tight that the knuckles had whitened horrendously.

"Yah, alright." Luffy's reply was no more than a whisper, and the Strawhats were well aware that he had heard nothing.

The ship came closer, closer, and closer still. No one moved a muscle, it seemed as if even the Sunny was holding its breath, waiting for a battle to erupt. Finally, the marine ship pulled up next to Sunny, and stopped. Tense moments of silence passed as the Strawhats locked eyes with the present marines, Luffy's harboring enough hatred to reduce a mountain to ash.

"I've come to finish the job."

The marines attacked.

They swarmed aboard the Sunny in hundreds, surrounding each of the Strawhats, but though intensively trained and prepared for the New World, they were no match for the infamous pirate crew.

* * *

"Fire!" A marine cried, and gunshots rang through the air.

"Jumping Point!" Leaping into the air, Chopper beautifully dodged all bullets coming his way.

"Kung Fu Point!" Transforming into his martial artist form, Chopper landed and began a "massacre" of the marines, not that he actually killed any of them, and cleared the field in less than ten minutes. With his sector clear, Chopper rushed small clusters of marines, clearing them with one kick or punch. From the corner of his eye, he observed the fights of all the other Strawhats, dutifully searching for Robin and making sure her body can hold up through all this.

* * *

"The weather forecast today is thunderstorm, with rain accompanied by lightning, so make sure to take proper shelter." Nami recited as cool balls and heat balls poured from her Climatact, forming an enormous thundercloud above the circle of marines cornering her.

"A cloud?" One wondered at the black formation of air and water that will bring about his destined defeat.

"Thunder tempo!" At Nami's command, thunderbolts rained from the cloud, catching the marines right as they realized what was happening. Suddenly, the deck was full of light, then full of blackened bodies.

* * *

Brook's violin music floated through the air, landing on the eardrums of the circle of marines blocking his way, and suddenly, they were at a party. Streamers ran across the ceiling in thousands of colors, balloons floated around the room, the sound of cheering and music was deafening, and the smell of alcohol as well as different delicacies filled the air.

To every marine came miracles of nature in the form of beautiful young women, each inviting their respective marines to a dance or a feast. Mesmerized by the sudden change in atmosphere and the beauties surrounding them, the marines let their guard melt away and completely endorsed in the wonders happening around them. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Brook had already finished his job.

As the skeleton walked a few steps away, all marines who once stood in his path crumbled to the floor. Blood sprayed, and the deck of the Sunny ran red.

* * *

"Coup de Vent!" Roughly fifty marines were blasted into the sky or into the sea from the cyborg shipwright's blast. "SUUPEERRRRR!" Franky widened his stance into a side lunge and rose his arms above his head, the stars on each one piecing together to form a new, larger one.

A lucky marine that somehow escaped Franky's initial attack attempted to ambush him, only to be detected and mercilessly pounded into the deck of the Sunny. To be honest, Chopper almost felt bad for him. Seems like that marine wasn't so lucky after all.

* * *

"Hissatsu Midoriboshi…" Usopp had his weapon pulled back, his eyes hidden by his hat, and a confident smile on his face. As he released the bullet, he added, "Devil!"

Green carnivorous plants broke out of the deck of the Sunny, writhing and bloodthirsty. Releasing a screechy roar-like sound into the sky, the plants began their feast. Marines within 20 meters of each plant did not stand a chance as the plants went on a rampage, swallowing the intruders left, right, and center.

"Yosh! Take that!" Usopp boasted, a grin widening his lips. "I'm the fierce warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp-sama! Hahahahahaha!" However, his celebration was cut short when a marine leapt up behind him, sword high in the air, about to bring it down upon "Captain Usopp-sama".

* * *

Fortunately for Usopp, Sanji was nearby and took care of the marine with a casual kick, sending the poor soul flying through the air and into the mast.

"Idiot, don't celebrate yet." The yellow-haired cook warned the sniper as he lit his cigarette, slamming his leg into another marine as he did so.

"Oh…" Usopp replied in a small voice before scrambling out of Sanji's way, who had started spinning. As he spun, fiery sparks jumped out of the tornado, and when he abruptly stopped, his right leg has caught fire.

"Diable Jambe!" Leaping into the air, Sanji showed no hesitation as he took down marine after marine, the fire burning bright through it all.

Finally landing once again, Sanji's leg seemed to distinguish of its own free will as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled a long snake of whirling, half transparent smoke.

"Game over."

* * *

As Chopper continued to scan the crowd, he finally found his latest patient going up against another crowd of marines, doing completely fine.

"Dos Fleur!" Hands reached out of the shoulders of the marines surrounding the archeologist, startling most into dropping their weapons.

"Hands! Hands!" A less experienced officer screeched, swinging his knife blindly at the hands on his shoulders. At this moment, Robin withdrew those hands and the marine's knife pierced the tender skin of his own neck, sending his head rolling within seconds.

"Clutch!" Curling her hands into fists, Robin demanded. The hands grabbed the marines and snapped backwards, breaking the necks of about forty enemies. The cracking and snapping of bones filled the air around the Sunny, and both marines and Strawhats alike shuddered at the horrifying sound.

"Seems like she's doing fine." Chopper said. "Yogatta." Not bothering to transform into any of his more complicated forms, he simply transformed into his reindeer form to headbutt the enemies that rushed him.

Bounding among the marines, Chopper took out one cluster after another, until a marine with an iron mask on half of his face rushed at him from the side, two daggers spinning in each hand, aimed for a vulnerable spot along his flank. Instinctively ducking, Chopper soon realized that it wasn't going to work. Judging from this marine's posture and familiarity with his weapons, he could flip his sword down anytime and stab it into his heart, but it's also too late to roll away. As he felt the wind of the blade draw near, Chopper's body, now used to combat, puffed out into Guard Point and wait for the daggers to bounce off, but the impact never came.

Cracking open his eyes, Chopper was greeted with the sight of Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu just inches above his head, stopping the blades of the marine.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

* * *

The marines leapt back, and Chopper scrambled away, now back in Brain Point.

"Move it, Chopper."

"Thank you, Zoro!" He called as he got out of range, but, keeping in mind Zoro's strange heartrate and pulse, he kept the swordsman in his line of sight as he turned to deal with more marines.

From the corners of his eyes, Chopper can just see Zoro clashing seemingly effortlessly with the marine, while the marine could be seen exerting himself to some extent. With a roar, the marine rushed at Zoro so fast it was as if he had teleported, replicating the "Soru" technique the crew had witnessed at CP9, giving Chopper a real fright. But Zoro, being Zoro, didn't even flinch as his swords connected with the four daggers of the marine. Shoving him back, Zoro leapt back of his own accord and rushed again, his eye glinting with the thrill that battles always seem to bring him, especially ones with worthy opponents.

A whirlwind of green amidst the multitude of colors, Zoro clashed with the marine again and again, giving Chopper the impression that he is completely fine. Breathing a sigh of relief, the reindeer turned back to his own fight and ran through the marines like a wrecking ball, sending everyone in his way flying into the air.

* * *

Having successfully dealt with the portion of marines that were trapping her, Nico Robin scanned the deck for anything she can help with, and almost instantly caught sight of Zoro circling the masked marine like a tiger stalking its prey. The enemy was so still, it was almost as if he was nothing more than a statue, the only part that moved were his eyes. They relentlessly followed Zoro as he completed the circle again and again.

All of a sudden, knives, spears, katanas, and various sharp weapons of the sort sprang from the ground surrounding Zoro and simultaneously flew at him. Quite notably surprised, the swordsman leapt into the air to avoid the blades, though a long, thin sword still somehow found its way to his left leg.

'This can't be!' Robin thought, alarmed beyond words. 'There is no way he can't jump high enough to avoid those. As I suspected, something is very wrong.'

The sword diagonally punctured Zoro's ankle and found it way up to the inside of his knee, a few centimeters of the blade protruding outwards at the place of connection between his thigh and calf, dark red blood dripped from the merciless steel and landed on the deck. "Plop, plop, plop". Regardless of who it is, a stab like that would probably shred some tendons and muscles in his leg. Even though Robin had no doubt that Zoro would still be able to stand after taking that hit, it would surely damage his body even more.

"CHOPPER!"

As more marines stepped into her way, it appeared that the doctor did not hear.

* * *

Pain danced through Zoro's leg and throughout his entire body as the sword found it mark. Biting his tongue violently to repress a rising cry, Zoro let out nothing more than a muffled groan as the pain intensified. His vision blurred as the deck below drew near, but he blinked the weariness away.

He will not fall.

Twisting in midair like a cat falling from a tree, Zoro landed on his feet, pressuring his leg as well as the sword, forcing it through even more so that several inches of the sword's tip now stuck out of his knee. His leg buckled, and he stumbled, but somehow remained standing.

Looking up at the marine through narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, Zoro stood once again, blood still welling from the wound, made worse by his own reckless behavior.

"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. You live up to your bounty."

"You're pissing me off."

"I'm a man who ate the Blade Blade Fruit, I'm a blade man. I can summon any sharp blade at will, and believe me, you won't be able to avoid them forever." The part of his mouth that's visible quirked into an arrogant smile. "You cannot defeat me."

"Like I said, you're pissing me off."

Putting his two katanas out in front of him, parallel to each other and the ground, Zoro tensed...

"KAKAJOU OU TATSUMAKI!"

All marines aboard the ship were caught in the whirlwind and immediately tossed into the sky like rag dolls, the blade man, who was so busy boasting just moments before, didn't escape the same fate. The tornado rocked the Sunny and promptly tore apart the navy ship, dumping all the marines into the water, unconscious or traumatized.

"Demon!" A marine cried, his face pale beyond normality and his lip trembling as he fell towards the water waiting below, ready to swallow him up. "Demon!"

'That's right.' Zoro took the Ichimonji out out of his mouth and sheathed his three swords. 'To reach my goal, to protect my nakama, I don't mind becoming a demon.'

* * *

 _Be patient, the cause of Zoro's unnatural behavior shall be revealed... much, much later..._

 _Yah... Sometimes my pace tends to be too slow, but hopefully interesting enough things will happen before then to keep readers satisfied :3_

 _The blade man was originally going to be the weapons man, but then I got to the Dressrosa arc and realized that Baby 5 is already a weapons woman, sooooo I changed it, I mean, it still fits._

 _Also, am I underestimating the marines in the New World? Am I overestimating the Strawhats? Am I doing their powers right? Aaaahhhhhhh. I'm still not very familiar with the Strawhats' post timeskip power level, so I'm sorry if anything seems out of place. So to help me understand and improve, leave a review? :333 (also to reward me for the long chapter? :P)_

 _Thanks hope you enjoyed bye!_


	10. Can You Tell Me?

_Just one thing today. I kind of have the tendency to name my chapters after the last word or sentence in the chapter. Most of the chapters before this one is also done that way, so I'm sorry if the title kinda has nothing to do with most of the chapter, but my mindset kind of thinks of it as the entire chapter revolving around that idea and eventually leading up to it. So yah, that's it, ENJOY!_

* * *

 _ **Can You Tell Me?**_

It appeared that they still had a long way to go.

* * *

Attacks rained down on Akainu after he had rendered Luffy unconscious. Haki imbued katanas launched slash after slash at his magma body; giant hands grabbed at him, disregarding the burns that they receive every time they touch him; exploding stars surrounded him in a pillar of smoke and carnivorous plants snapped at him, only to be burned off their stems; kicks came from every direction at once, their fire matching his magma step by step; lightning crashed down on him, igniting the magma that layered his body; hooves mercilessly pounded him, creating deep prints and scourges; punches encircled his body and shoved him back; and thin strands of ice trailed a _shikomizue_ as they assaulted their opposite element.

Even as the high commander of the marines, Akainu wasn't able to easily hold back the full on assault of the entirety of the Strawhats Pirates, and slowly backed towards the hull. As he did so, the Strawhats hastened their attacks, though most simply passed straight through Akainu if not completely destroyed by his extremely high temperatures. A few more minutes passed of the Strawhats' attempts to force the fleet admiral off their ship when he seemed to intentionally provide an opening, at which Shusui, still covered with Haki, flew in and drew blood. A small trickle of it slid down Akainu's collarbone, appearing to enrage him. Falling back, the Strawhats drew their battle stances and prepared for an onslaught, though Akainu surprised them by only launching one last forceful attack that sent the crew to its knees before disappearing amongst the smoke and confusion. When the smoke cleared, Strawhats neglected to even attempt to ponder the way of Akainu's escape or the reasons behind his strange actions, for they had bigger things to worry about: their captain.

* * *

It didn't matter that they had all trained nonstop for two years. They were still no match for an admiral one on one, especially the one that holds the title of fleet admiral. The magma had pummeled Luffy despite his best attempts, burning through his rubber body, and it was only thanks to his crewmates that he didn't meet the same fate as his late brother. Still, it did take the entirety of the Strawhat Pirates to drive the admiral off the Sunny, and by the end of it, every single one of them was worn out, burnt, and panting heavily.

Chopper ran around the deck, treating Luffy's injuries first by exposing him to small amounts of cool water to counter the flames and then examining the degree of the burns. To his relief, none were too severe, with the exception of one on his left shoulder, which Chopper treated and wrapped with the utmost care. Luffy remained unconscious through it all as the Strawhats watched in silence.

Once Chopper was done with Luffy, he made his way around the ship, and while he was checking up on Robin, he heard the distinctive sound of metal rubbing against flesh, followed by sharp intake of breath, then the clanking of steel on wood. The smell of blood raced through the air, and the "drip, drip, drip" of it hitting the deck becomes much more unsettling in the silence. Alarmed, Chopper swung his head around, it wasn't like him to not see an injury so severe. Letting his animal senses take over, Chopper quickly found the source: Zoro was leaning against the side of the Sunny, a long sword laying next to him as blood pooled on the already bloodstained floor. He had his eye closed, his arms and legs crossed, and his head hanging so that his chin touched his chest. It almost looked like he was sleeping.

"Sorry, Robin." Chopper hurried an apology before abandoning his check up of the archeologist to treat the swordsman. Robin smiled, she was fine, just a few burns here and there, especially on her hands, which were almost charred black, but she didn't say anything. Zoro needed Chopper more than she did.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Chopper scolded the swordsman as he cleaned and treated his leg. "If we had waited just a bit more, your leg could have lost its use forever."

"So? Only having one leg won't stop me from reaching my goal." Chopper shook his head, that was such a Zoro thing to say. "Besides, the others needed you." He didn't attempt to argue with the stubborn first mate, just wrapped his injury in silence before giving him a few instructions, though he doubted Zoro will follow them.

"Don't put too much pressure on your leg for at least a good week and even if you're going to train, BE CAREFUL. Several muscles and tendons were damaged by that sword, and the long exposure to metal can cause problems if there are any slip ups. Understand?" Zoro nodded halfheartedly, and Chopper mentally sighed as he moved back to Robin to examine and apply ointment to her hands.

When all the treatments were finished, Zoro stood up. "I suppose we should clean up."

"I suppose we should." Nami agreed, getting onto her feet. "Everyone capable of walking," Chopper gave Zoro a stern look, who yielded, much to the surprise of the crew, "get the supplies and get out here, we're going to give the Sunny a proper clean up tonight." ("I love Nami-San when she takes control!")

As the Strawhats excluding Zoro left the main deck to gather equipment, the swordsman slid down the side of the Sunny and sat once more. In the moonlight, a red sheen can be seen emitting from his skin in certain areas, a light that almost resembled… blood. This strange phenomenon gave him the look that he had sported two years ago during Thriller Bark, covered with blood and barely alive. Then a cloud passed over the moon, and when it peeked out once more, Zoro's skin had returned to its normal tan, the only thing unnatural was the swordsman himself. He was panting, his breathing labored and uneven, sweat dripping from his brow and splashing onto the floor. He had his hand on his chest, his eye squeezed shut, and an ever-deepening frown upon his face.

'Nobody needs to know.'

* * *

Just like that, the night passed, and when the sun rose once more, all evidence of a raging battle the night before was erased with the exception of a few faint smears of blood.

Everyone was resting in the dorms and Chopper was tending to and watching over Luffy in the medical room. The captain had taken a decent amount of damage the night before, and combined with the blood loss he had endured during his fight with Hody as well as still adjusting to the new blood flowing through his body, he may not wake for a while.

* * *

'What should I do…?' Zoro's mind raced as he wondered what his future held, and for the first time, wondered if he had time to accomplish his goal. He knows his body, he knows what he should do, but he knows what he can't do, and the two just happened to overlap.

Exhaling through his nose, Zoro stood from the bed, open the door, and was greeted by the crew, led by Sanji, with strange looks upon their faces.

"What is it?"

"Spill it." Sanji demanded, the smoke from his cigarette spiraling into the air. "What happened when you went to rescue Robin-Chan and Saga?"

"Nothing." Zoro threw at the cook, and attempted to move around the group, only to have Sanji sidestep into his way.

"Spill it."

"I told you," Zoro spat, his face a mask of annoyance. "Nothing happened!"

" _What's with all this blood?! Oi! Are you still alive? Where is that guy? What happened here?!"_

" _N… Nothing… Happened…"_

"Considering what happened the last time you said that, how do you expect me to believe you this time?" Sanji stated, a growl creeping into his voice.

"Oi, Zoro."

"LUFFY?!" Chopper's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?!"

"Oh, I felt better, so I got up." Luffy grinned in that silly way of his. "Also, I'm hungry, but then I heard what's going on here," his tone grew more serious as he switched to the conflict at hand, and he turned back to the first member to join his current pirate crew. "You can tell us."

"No. I can't." Zoro insisted, shook his head, and wove through the group to head for the crow's nest, not giving the crew another chance to ask. He can't tell them, and that's final. As he settled in the training environment so familiar to him, Zoro heard scattered footsteps below as the group disbanded, each moving away to do their own thing, leaving him in relative peace. That is, until a female's voice floated through the trapdoor and found its way into his ear.

"Zoro? Can you tell me?"

* * *

 _Let me just say that I am very unsure about how I wrote the fight between Akainu and the Strawhats. I wrote the part with Luffy keeping in mind his previous fight with Hody and the fact that he almost died fighting Doflamingo, who is a Shichibukai so not really admiral level yet? When it all comes down to it, I'm still just unfamiliar with post timeskip Strawhat power level, and there hasn't been a fight between Akainu and Luffy as far as I've watched , so I had to kind of analyze everything before I could write it, so please excuse any mistakes on my part, thanks!_

 _Also, leave a review :3? (If just for that Hamilton reference I threw in xD)._


	11. Something There

_**Before you start reading, please read this note, I have a question for any experienced writers or people who are familiar with this website who are reading my story** (by the way, if you are, thank you!) **.** **I have changed the rating of this story to M just to be safe, but I'm still unsure of whether some of it is OK to post. There are some scenes in this similar to the scene on Thriller Bark and Mihawk cutting down Zoro. If anyone can answer, I just want to know whether that's Ok to write and post on FanFiction. If you have an answer, please, please, please leave a review, I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance.**_

* * *

 _ **Something There**_

"I'm warning you, as soon as you hear what I'm about to tell you, he will come for you. Are you ready to risk your life in exchange for the truth?"

"Zoro, your nakama will always be willing to risk their lives for you, I'm no exception."

His eye bore into hers, and she could tell that he was still hesitant, that when it all comes down to it, he still doesn't want to get them involved.

"... If I do, you can't tell anyone else."

"I understand."

"Alright, I'll tell you. No. Rather, I'll show you."

* * *

Robin sat with her hands over her mouth, her eyes watery, and her body trembling uncontrollably. This… how does he look this calm? Her eyes were glued onto Zoro, who was leaning against the wall, his legs crossed at the ankles with his left leg on top, his right hand resting on his katanas, and his eye closed. The bandages on his left leg were concealed by his boots and robe, that is, if he still had them on. He always did have a bad habit of taking them off, complaining about the way they restrict his movements, despite that being the entire purpose.

"Satisfied?" Zoro asked, not bothering to look up.

Satisfied. _Satisfied_?! How can he be asking her this?! No she isn't satisfied! Of course she isn't satisfied. Tears threatened to overflow, and the world turned watery as they pushed stubbornly behind her eyes.

"I… I…" Her vocal chords weren't working properly, and even the two words she did managed to squeeze out shook. This couldn't be happening, this is wrong, so very wrong. Fate must have made a mistake, he doesn't deserve this.

"I already warned you, now that you know, he'll come, be ready." Robin nodded, at the moment, it all her body would do.

'Even Thriller Bark wasn't this bad.' A small voice in the back of her mind whispered, disturbing her even more. 'Even Thriller Bark wasn't this bad…'

"And remember, tell no one." He reminded her, observing the look on her face and turning his head away. "I don't need the entire crew in danger because of me."

White hot fury suddenly seized Robin, snapping the rein that held her vocal chords in check. "Why…" her voice was dangerously low and steady. "Why…?" She didn't voice the rest of the thought aloud, for she knew that the entire ship would certainly hear if she were to say what she wanted to say at the volume she wanted to say it in. Instead, the bomb went off inside her head.

'My nakama is hurt, in pain, has one foot inside death's door, and _I'm not allowed to tell anyone_?! …There must have been a mistake. The heavens _must_ have done something wrong! This isn't real, this can't be real, the world shouldn't be this cruel…'

She was shaking again, but this time for a different reason. Her hands were clenched in her lap and her eyes were slammed shut, tears threatening to pour if she even opened them for a second.

"Because I had no choice. Exchanging one life for two, it's not a bad deal." Zoro answered her question. "Anyone would have done the same." When she finally dared to open her eyes and look at him, she saw something that froze her in place. Zoro was smiling. Not a smirk or a mocking grin or a thrilled quirk of his lips, but a real smile. A genuine one, something that reached his eye. This was the first time Robin has seen Zoro exhibit any sort of real emotion, and wonder filled her as she looked deeper into it.

With a smile like that, Zoro was… beautiful.

* * *

He wasn't quite sure himself regarding why he showed Robin of all people what had happened to him that night. Something felt right when he decided to do it, some rock that had settled on his chest has been removed, and for the first time after the incident, he felt free. When she had wondered why, he didn't bother to try and evade the question, he told her the truth.

To save two lives, he would gladly give his own.

In her voice, he heard concern, sadness, and even anger. It melted something in him, chipping away at whatever barrier he had built around himself. He wasn't thrilled about it, no, far from it, but he had to admit, some parts of himself liked opening up to someone, even if it was just a little bit. When he saw her look at him, he smiled. This was a shock even to himself, he shouldn't be doing this, feelings can only hinder his training and swordplay, yet here he is, smiling at a woman, and he can't even stop. Zoro saw Robin's wonder, fascination, and something else, something softer, upon looking at him, and for long minutes, they stood there, facing each other, him smiling, her wondering.

"Well." Jolting out of this strange realm and hardening himself again, Zoro turned away. "Now you know."

He heard Robin stand up and leave the room, closing the door with a soft click behind her. Turning, he stared at the wall, his mind blank, unsure of what to do now that she left. Several moments passed in silence before he shook his head violently, reawakening his brain and reconstructing the thick barrier between him and the world. As his senses finally returned to him, Zoro prepared to leave to the crow's nest, neglecting his training is the one thing he refuses to do. However, as soon as he put pressure on his left leg, it gave in, buckling under his weight, and then he was falling, falling, his katanas skittering out of their sheaths and sliding up against the wall.

The world spun around him as Zoro grabbed the edge of a table to keep from hitting the floor. He will not fall. With considerable effort, he was able to keep his body off the floor, his chest rising and falling in irregular patterns with every breath. Clenching the side of the table for support, he slowly stood, leaning heavily against the wood while trying to even out his breathing without success. Gasping for air, Zoro suddenly felt the sweet, metallic taste of blood rise in his throat and fill his mouth. Allowing his pride to take control, he forcefully swallowed it again, leaving his throat dry and his chest aching.

* * *

Silent tears streaked Robin's face of their own accord as she registered the swordsman's suffering. She never left. She stood outside the dorm and kept her guard up in case he needed her. Just moments before, she had had her hand on the handle, about to reenter the room and help him. She didn't make the decision, her body did, it was more of an impulse rather than a thought that prompted her to open the door, but she didn't. She knows his pride, his stubborn nature, he wouldn't want her help in a situation like this, where he is more than capable of handling himself. The knowledge didn't help the tears.

* * *

Sanji watched from afar as Robin-Chan slid out of that marimo's room and stayed by the door, worry darkening her features as her eyes darted towards the room again and again. Observing the scene, the cook's womanizing nature prompted his eyes into flames as jealousy stemmed from Robin's concern for another male.

'You shitty marimo!' But even he knew that there was something there, and when the fire in his eyes died, a smile tugged on his lips.

* * *

 _Yaayyyyyyyy fluff! And what Zoro had just shown Robin will have to wait (mwahaha), but still, fluff._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading, and please leave a review (please read the author's note at the top) if you enjoyed or have advice for me. Thank you!_

 _Oh, and did anyone see that Beauty and the Beast reference I threw in xD._


	12. Break Your Heart

_So after thinking about it, I decided to leave the parts in there. I'm going to keep the rating at M just in case, but I think I might be able to get away with it even if I rate it T. I mean, teens all over the world watch one piece (and there is absolutely no lack of blood in that anime/manga) and they're fine with it. I just wanted to give out the confirmation, enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 ** _Break Your Heart_**

A few days had passed without much disturbance for the Strawhats, and the crew was grateful for the small period of peace and quiet, though they never let their guard down. This was the New World, after all, there can be danger lurking in the calmest of islands. The conversations between Robin and Zoro increased daily, until the sight of Robin climbing into the crow's nest after the swordsman became a common sight aboard the Thousand Sunny.

* * *

They've been talking more and more, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. To be fair, he never talked much, every time they would have a conversation, he would sit on the bench or continue with his training, his face an iron mask. It always seemed as if he wasn't listening, but she knew he was.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Robin asked one day, sitting by the window as Zoro did exercise after exercise to hone his body. She never objected to his training, but it always worried her to see him exerting himself so much after what happened.

"Fine." One word answers were common from him and usually meant he didn't want to talk about the topic at hand, so she didn't push it.

"Why do you want to become the world's greatest swordsman?" Robin suddenly asked after some time of silence. She was never informed on the reason behind Zoro's motive, and ever since she found out about his goal, she had wondered, and now, when she wasn't paying attention to what's coming out of her mouth, the question naturally slid out.

"I made a promise." Zoro answered between breaths as he did push-up after push-up with iron plates stacked high on his back. "To a friend."

"Tell me about her."

"She was someone I could never beat, no matter how hard I trained." Robin blinked at this reveal, the possibility of someone even Zoro cannot surpass with his near obsession with training was quite a lot to take in. "Then she went ahead and died, after that, I didn't shed a single tear until two years ago." Robin blinked again, the image of Zoro with tears was an even bigger shock to her, up until now, she had been half convinced that he is incapable of such a thing.

"You cried?" Robin prompted, this was the most Zoro has said to her in a while, and though she enjoyed simply telling him about certain things, having him tell her something was quite a refreshing experience.

"At Baratie, the floating restaurant, when I first met Dracule Mihawk, and he crushed me." Zoro continued, tilting his body so that the stack of plates clanked to the ground. He stood up, sweat shining on his bare chest and back. "I couldn't believe it, the distance couldn't have been that far. I had never anticipated that I would lose up until that point, it was when I first witnessed the real power of the world." Sprouting a string of hands, Robin handed him a towel from a nearby shelf, he took it silently, and the hands disappeared in a cloud of pedals. "It broke me, that loss. I had been confident in my abilities before that, but then he came and humbled me nicely. The disappointment nearly cracked my will, but I suppose that I somehow held onto that little part of myself that was still intact. After that, I had to put my pride back together piece by piece." Reaching for his robe, he slid it on and strapped his three katanas to his red sash. "But his words lifted me to some extent. He told me he would wait, that he would wait until the day I find him again and surpass him, and some of my dignity was handed back to me." Hanging the towel around his neck, Zoro rested his right arm on his katanas and gazed out the window. "I couldn't control my tears, they just kept coming no matter what I did, and then I made a vow that I would never lose again." At this, he turned to look at her, his eye telling her that it had taken a lot to open up and tell her the story of his tears.

A few more moments of silence ensued before he spoke again.

"Her name was Kuina."

She nodded silently, a gentle smile spreading across her face. When their eyes locked, electricity buzzed through the air, and Robin looked away, a blush suddenly climbing all the way up her neck to her cheeks. What's with her? This has been happening a lot lately when they made eye contact, but she couldn't quite put her fingers around it. When she looked up, he has settled next to her about a meter away, observing her, his eye gentle in his rare moments of vulnerability.

"ROBIN-CHWAAANNNNNN! NAMI-SWAAAANNNNN! I made teeaaaaaa!" Sanji's voice broke through both of their thoughts, and Zoro's face molded back to its stern and annoyed expression.

"Shut up! You ero cook!" Zoro called out the open window, getting a similar sentence in response.

"Mind your own business! You shitty marimo!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" The two called in unison, ending with Zoro jumping out of the window of the crow's nest (of course, landing on his feet with ease) and involving himself in a scuffle with Sanji, until Nami came along and violently split apart the rivals, leaving Robin chuckling to herself. Climbing down the ladder to reach the deck, Robin waved to Sanji, notifying him of her whereabouts and immediately receiving an overexcited cook spinning around her offering her tea, not that she had any way to get it with his overly rapid movements.

"Ooo, tea!" Luffy's distinctive voice rose over Sanji's rambling as his arm soared over the cook's head to grab the tea, proceeding to spill it due to the momentum of his arm snapping back into place. "HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!"

"I didn't make that for you, you moron!" Sanji raged at his captain, who returned the scolding with a silly grin.

"Ah, sorry. Hehe."

Sanji exploded, Zoro yawned, Nami facepalmed, and Robin simply smiled.

* * *

That night, when they parted to their respective dorms after another short conversation, he stopped her with a sentence that chilled her to the bone.

"I'm only going to break your heart."

Her fingers closed around the name of the feeling that has been slipping away from her for the past week.

* * *

 _Tada! Heartbreaker! So, did anyone figure out the song this entire thing was inspired by? :3_

 _(pst, i know i get annoying, but leave a review, please?)_


	13. We See It

_Jjoefwahumfeoiu903j sorry for not updating last week, it was the first week of highschool for me and things were kind of crazy ;-;. I'll try to post once every week but sometimes maybe every two weeks? Anyway, now that that's out of the way, TIME FOR SOME ZOROBIN CUZ THAT'S THE BEST SHIP IN THE ONE PIECE UNIVERSE AND I LOVE-_

 _*Ahem* before Flower offends anyone I'm here to let you know that we respect everyone's opinion about One Piece ships. Now, before she destroys the eardrums of all civilization, let's get on with the story._

* * *

 _ **We See It**_

Nami sat with her chin on her hands on the upper deck of the Sunny, taking in the view onboard the ship and in the water and promptly ignoring Sanji's pitiful attempts at flirting. Her gaze lingered on the tangerine grove, and she smiled to herself as she remembered her adoptive mother and sister. As her eyes continued to sweep the deck, she saw Zoro napping some distance off, leaning against the railing of the Sunny… and is somehow comfortable.

Her eyes were just about to leave the swordsman when she caught sight of Robin making her way across the deck with a small blanket draped over her arm.

'What's she up to?' The navigator wondered, her eyes tracking Robin across the Thousand Sunny, and realized that she was headed for Zoro. '?! Won't he just…' as Robin reached the swordsman, she squat down and laid the blanket over his crossed legs, stood, and left. As Robin padded away, Nami's sharp eyes caught the hint of a smile on Zoro's face.

'Excuse me?!' Nami blinked, too shocked to do much more, how has she not noticed this before? Suddenly, even her mastermind of a brain wasn't able to comprehend what had just taken place in front of her eyes, and she simply stared at the swordsman, once again snoring away, leaving the blanket as it is. Did Zoro really just… This isn't normal.

'Are we sure we have the right Santoryuu swordsman with green hair?'

* * *

Robin was engrossed in a book when a knock sounded on the door.

"Yes?" The archeologist answered, her eyes never leaving the rows upon rows of knowledge.

"May I come in?" Came the reply, and Robin immediately recognized the voice as that of the orange-haired navigator.

"Miss Navigator," Robin greeted as she opened the door for Nami. "What brings you here at this time of night?" Sidestepping, she gave Nami the means to enter the room, which the navigator did, and when she turned to face Robin, she had a strange look on her face. Closing the door, Robin gestured to a chair. "What is it?" She wondered as both females settled down.

"What's going on between you and that dense swordsman?" Nami cut straight to the point and knew she had hit her mark when Robin froze in place, even her usual calm demeanor not saving her from reacting to the shock of hearing the question.

"Nothing." She replied after recomposing herself, though her eyes betrayed her heart.

"Oh really." Nami pushed, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips as she leaned closer, her fiery hair gleaming in the light of the candle flame. "I don't believe you."

" _I'm only going to_ _break_ _your_ _heart_ _."_

Robin shook her head. "There really is nothing." She insisted, her voice lower and slightly less composed than before.

"Do you want there to be something?" Does she? Robin wondered, this was the first time her own desires ever occurred to her. Before, she hadn't dared think of such things with his words echoing in her head, but now that she thought about it… does she? Robin didn't exactly know.

"I… don't know." She admitted. "I'm not so sure myself, I've never thought about it."

"Well, think about it." Having gotten everything out of her system, Nami stood and made her way to the door, pulling it open and walking out, giving Robin a wink before shutting it. Robin stood in her room, the gears in her mind churning, and still she couldn't find an answer. Does she?

* * *

In the middle of the night, the crew was awoken by the clashing of metal on the deck of the Sunny, and when they all rushed out to see what was happening, they were greeted with two lithe and powerful figures circling each other like a tiger and a leopard. One of them was a stranger with shoulder length brown hair and clad in a black robe that flowed to his ankles. On his feet he wore black boots so clean they shone in the moonlight. Beneath his robe he bore a black shirt and trousers. This man was fast, agile, and skilled, he shot around his opponent, darting in once in a while to land a hit. Out of ten, his opponent was only able to block three or four.

The man wielded one katana that shone with a purple hue, already smeared with blood. He himself only had several small injuries scattered on his face and arms, otherwise, he seemed unharmed. This skill with a sword astounded the Strawhats, and the ones who were present at Baratie couldn't help but remember the swordsman that had defeated Zoro with effortless grace.

"So you told someone." The stranger's voice was a whistle and a whisper, almost resembling the ghost-like sound of the wind howling through tunnels and caves. "Didn't I tell you to keep quiet?" With every word, he struck, four out of seven hits landing, sending blood spraying into the air.

As the Strawhats took in the whole picture, they consecutively received two massive shocks. On a corner of the deck lay their archeologist, her clothing reduced to tattered rags and her skin dark with blood. A piece of cloth was laid across her stomach, where there was a supposed wound, but did nothing to stop the bleeding. Blood seeped through the material and flowed freely across her pale skin and onto the Sunny. At the sight, Chopper didn't make a sound before scrambling back into his room to get his equipment, then raced to Robin's side, stumbling and sobbing. Though when he reached inside his bag for the medicine and bandages, his hands remained firm and steady.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" A voice roared as a katana soared over Chopper's head. The reindeer screamed as the blade made contact with his body, a few centimeters sinking into his back before the blade was forced out of the doctor and sent flying backwards, the wielder leaping back with it.

"Sorry, Chopper, I couldn't get here on time, are you ok?"

The stranger's opponent, once again much to the surprise of the Strawhats, was their very own swordsman, Roronoa Zoro.

Zoro's chest and torso was bare, his robe used to cover Robin after she was cut down, and blood shimmered on all three of his blades, much more than the amount that covered the stranger's katana. To the crew, this ignited some sort of hope, for they thought that maybe the stranger's dark attire had hidden the blood, and maybe… just maybe, he was hurt more than he let on. This small spark flickered defiantly in their hearts, until it was snuffed out with the realization that the blood on Zoro's katanas was his own.

* * *

Swallowing against the pain in his back, Chopper blinked away tears and nodded, "mhm" , before turning back to Robin, removing the robe and efficiently cleaning and bandaging the ugly, gaping wound underneath.

He could hear the swords clashing again and again behind him, yet that was the only sound he heard. No yelling, no thunder, no footsteps. The Strawhats weren't lending a hand. This was Zoro's fight.

Metal smashed against metal time and time again, and still the crew watched. The moon rose into the sky, reached its zenith, and slowly began its descend, still the fight wore on. Chopper knelt on the deck, afraid to move Robin in case of her wound opening again, so he sat and watched as Zoro struggled against his foe along with the rest of the crew, his hooves clenched and sweat gathering on his forehead as his worries for Zoro's safety grew, and grew, and grew.

Abruptly, the clashing stopped, and Chopper felt the wind before he saw the blade. Jumping up, he transformed into Guard Point and faced the incoming sword, but he soon realized that its target wasn't him. The wielder leapt over Chopper with his sword in the perfect position to slam into Robin's chest while simultaneous shoving the reindeer away with a swift kick, sending the doctor bouncing and rolling across the deck. This was a beautifully timed and poised attack that awed the crew, and with awe, came panic.

* * *

The entire crew rushed forward, and Zoro sprinted wildly for the stranger.

He was a step too slow, his body not fully comprehending what he wants it to do, but still he forced it to move, to run, to protect.

They all saw it, Zoro's desperation, concern, and most of all, the absolute fear slashed across his features. This reaction is for someone more than a nakama, this utter need to help her and keep her safe went beyond the range of a friend.

The crew all wanted to protect their friends, to save Robin, especially Luffy. As the captain, the love and care he harbors for his crewmates are more than enough to move mountains and dry oceans, but Zoro… had something else roaring in his eye. The crew surged towards the threat, and Luffy's fist sang through the air, but the katana was too fast, and hopelessness engulfed the Strawhats.

A roar tore from Zoro's chest, " **ROBIN!** "

The crew sees it.

* * *

We

We see

We see it.

* * *

 _Yaaaayyyyyyyyy..._

 _Well, there's Zorobin fluff, so I'm sure you'll forgive me._

 _Come on admit it, you know you love me._

 _Anyway xD, you know the drill: read the story, give meh love (*ahem* reviews), then enjoy the rest of your day!_

 _Buhbye!_


	14. Sacrifice

_Warning: blood and violence coming up._

* * *

 ** _Sacrifice_**

Zoro's katanas weren't fast enough. Luffy's fists weren't fast enough. Nami's lightning wasn't fast enough. Usopp's Pop Greens weren't fast enough. Chopper wasn't fast enough. Brooks's sword wasn't fast enough. Even Franky's bullets were shot a beat too slow. But Sanji, who was closest to Robin out of all the Strawhats, his Skywalk was fast enough.

Blood splattered across the deck, on the railing, on the nearby Strawhats, and on the intruder, blood that wasn't Robin's. A shockwave fanned outwards due to the impact of the stab, so powerful that it forced all the Strawhats onto the ground.

A cigarette fell on the floor, the sound awfully loud in the silence.

Silence. Silence. Silence.

" **SANJI!** " Luffy's scream rocked the ship and seemed to shake the ocean itself. It appeared that gathering enough strength in his legs to block the sword would have taken too much time, so he used his body instead, and the katana had gone clean through him. "DAMN YOU!" The captain cried, his eyes reddening as his body pumped itself into Gear Second and charged the swordsman, an arm staying behind to ensure a good, monstrous attack. "JET PISTOL!" His outstretched arm soared through the air, connecting with… nothing, the stranger had disappeared into the night, and no one had the slightest notion of where he possibly could have gone. The horrendous momentum of Luffy's hand send it whirling into the distant sea, landing in the water with a humongous splash that created waves so vast they even rocked the Sunny from at least a couple hundred meters away.

When the chaos settled, Sanji lay on his side next to Robin, his clothes ripped beyond recognition, his yellow hair matted with dried blood, and his face pale as a ghost. The intruder was nowhere to be found, but when the Thousand Sunny once again sank into silence, a howling laugh launched into the sky, and faded along with any other signs of the assailant.

"Sanji!" Chopper half screamed, half sobbed as he rushed to the cook, flipping him over as gently as he could and frantically tried to stop the bleeding, massaging the areas beside the wound to clot the opening. His tears were mixed into the solutions and ointments that he applied to Sanji's wound, and every sob came closer to opening his own injury. As his mind cleared a bit, Chopper looked up and announced, through teary eyes, that the blade had missed Sanji's vital organs by centimeters, and that he _will_ live. "Thank God… Thank God…" Chopper kept repeating to himself as he finally buried his head in his legs and wept from fear, from happiness, from the rollercoaster of emotions that took place when the intruder was present. After a while, the doctor appeared to have fallen asleep, and Zoro walked up quietly behind him.

"Someone take care of moving those two somewhere comfortable." The swordsman spoke as he gently lifted the doctor in his arms, the words perceived by everyone, even the captain, as an order. Zoro didn't glance back as he stood and solemnly brought the small reindeer back to the medical room. Watching him from behind, the crew observed his bare back, still battered and crusted with blood, of whose, they cannot say. After he had seemingly settled Chopper, Zoro emerged from the young doctor's room and moved into the men's dorm, the crew hearing a "click" as the door shut behind him. Not questioning it, Nami and Franky took up Robin and Luffy and Usopp carried Sanji. As gently as they could, the four took the two patients into the medical room, taking care to not wake the doctor and constantly making sure there were no slip ups that could cost either of their lives.

Morning came, and Chopper had the two separated, keeping Sanji in his room while Robin in the women's room, keeping a vigil over one or the other, with Nami taking care of Robin and Usopp Sanji when he is with the other patient. Usually, Chopper preferred to have his patients in the same room so that he can watch over them at all times and issue the treatment immediately and himself if there are any problems. However, he knew that if Sanji were to wake up to the sight of Robin's curves, her big, sparkling eyes, and her ebony black hair, he would surely suffer a major nosebleed, thus further endangering his life. Keeping that in mind, Chopper had no choice but to keep the cook separated from the intellectual.

* * *

Luffy was curled up on the head of the Sunny, aimlessly staring into the distance, fear darkening his face as the events of the night before replayed over and over in his head.

 _Blood splattered across the deck, on the railing, on the nearby Strawhats, and on the intruder._

 _Sanji lay on his side next to Robin, his clothes ripped beyond recognition, his yellow hair matted with dried blood, and his face pale as a ghost._

Burying his head in his knees, Luffy vowed that he would bring about the destruction of that man. He didn't give a damn about who that bastard was, he hurt his nakama, and that is more than enough reason to kick his ass.

* * *

Franky was tinkering away in his invention room, attempting to relieve his stress by remodeling the General Franky. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate. At last, he simply gave up, left his room a mess of spare parts and modification blueprints, and climbed onto the deck. There, he stood by the railing and stared into the ocean underneath, his eyes wandering around the mirror-like surface.

* * *

Brook had empty music sheets spread out across the table in front of him, but for hours they remained that way: empty. His mind had nothing, the notes all escaping him as he grabbed for ones to arrange a piece of music. Es and As and Bs and Ds and Fs swam around inside his head, and every time he thought he had something, the music would sound scratchy and displeasing when he tested it out on his violin. Shaking his head, Brook laid down his pencil and violin and slammed his head onto the table, wishing he could have been more of a help during the horrifying incident last night.

* * *

When he entered his room last night and locked the door, Zoro had to immediately grab for the handle to keep himself upright. His body hadn't been listening to what he commanded lately, and tonight wasn't an exception, the struggle to remain conscious is starting to push his limits, his shoulders and chest heaving with the effort. A long, angry wound made its way from his left shoulder down to his wrist, and he pressed him right hand to the worst of it in a futile attempt to slow the bleeding. The warm and slightly sticky liquid crawled through the cracks between his fingers and dripped onto the floor, slowly expanding into a red puddle.

'Damn it.' He thought angrily. 'Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT.' His body shook with the effort of standing, and excessive blood loss turned the world around him to nothing but fuzzy blobs of color. Using the door handle as his main support, Zoro lifted one foot to step in front of the other, only to have his body finally crack under the strain.

The world went dark, and Zoro landed on the floor with a sickening "thud".

* * *

When he came to again, rays of the sun poured through the small window in the men's dorm, a bit too bright and happy for his liking, especially after what had happened. He was still in the same place, and Zoro found some comfort in the fact that no one had entered an seen him in this pitiful state. Reaching out his left hand, Zoro seized the door for support, bringing pain dancing through his body and blood gushing out of the still untreated injury. Muttering a curse under his breath, he used his right arm to push himself into a sitting position, putting his entire weight on the wall behind him as the simple action sent the world spinning.

'I wonder how that ero cook is holding up. That stupid, stupid dumbass.' He was well aware that a part of him was grateful, so grateful, for Sanji's actions, for they had saved Robin from almost certain death, not that he was ever going to admit it. 'This is my fault…'

* * *

Two days passed before Sanji came to his senses, and one more went by before Robin regained hers. Now, five days after the incident, both were able to move around the ship, though still bound tightly in layers and layers of bandages, especially Sanji, who was on the brink of not wearing any clothes at all due to the excessive amount of binding that Chopper had applied to his body.

"Sanji, I swear, if you take those off-" Chopper had emphasized again and again (due to Zoro's frustrating habit of doing so) before letting Sanji out of bed and walking, and every time Sanji would reassure the reindeer that he won't.

"I know, I know, I'm not like that idiot marimo." When Chopper finally allowed Sanji outside, he was immediately greeted by Luffy.

"Sanji! You're awake!" Long, rubber arms stretched from out of nowhere and enveloped Sanji in a bone crushing hug, and though Sanji was grateful…? No, not really. Though Sanji appreciated his captain's concern, it was also putting pressure on his wound.

"Ow, ow, Luffy, that hurts," Sanji huffed, attempting to squeeze out from his position in between Luffy's arms, feeling them to be loosening. However, before Luffy could get off of his own accord, Nami's fist descended upon his head and sent him slamming into the ground, a lump rising from the place of contact.

"How are you, Sanji-Kun?" Nami asked, glaring at Luffy while dusting off her hands.

"NAMI-SWANNN, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT ME?" Sanji's eyes pumped into hearts and he began waving his body like seaweed, only to receive a scolding from Chopper seconds later about how strange positions can affect his recovery.

"No, I am not…" Nami sighed before turning away to look for Robin, leaving Sanji behind, on his hands and knees, encircled by an aura of depression.

* * *

As Sanji meandered around the Thousand Sunny, prohibited from any kind of exercise or activity, he spotted Zoro leaned against the wall to the left of the swordsman's door. As soon as he set eyes on his sworn rival, Sanji's brow furrowed as the slightest of anxious feelings burrowed its way into his mind. He was quite unsure of where this feeling of uncertainty came from, but as he stopped to observe the swordsman, the realization hit him like a punch in the gut.

The swordsman had grown so frighteningly thin that his physique was near unrecognizable, the only parts that still defined him as the infamous Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro were his scarred eye and trademark three swords, even the mess of moss green hair had dulled to a color devoid of life. 'What has been happening to him?' Sanji wondered, alarmed at the seemingly fragile body of a once thickly muscled man. Furthermore, Zoro's face has adopted a much paler and weakened tone, his cheeks sunken in and dark circles standing out stark against the skin under his eyes. Currently, the swordsman held his signature "don't disturb me unless you want to die" posture as he leaned against the wall, though he seemed to be applying more pressure than necessary to his left arm.

"Oi, curly brows," Zoro suddenly spoke up, mildly startling Sanji, who soon realized that the first mate could sense the weight of his gaze, even across the entire ship. He _had_ mastered the Color of Perception, after all. "How's the pain treating you?" He mocked with a tone of voice that Sanji had gotten quite used to, despite it still infuriating him to the point of insanity, but, though on the urge of ripping out Zoro's remaining eye, Sanji also knew that it was his way of worrying, for his pride forbade him from openly admitting to concern for his yellow-headed rival.

"Same to you," Sanji wasted no time in spitting back." You look so weak the wind can probably knock you down."

"I'm not the one that was stabbed by a cursed blade, you're just not on a high enough level." Zoro feigned a sigh, raised his shoulders and spread his hands. "It's just not my fault I'm so much better."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Sanji burst into flames of rage and was about to lunge for the swordsman when the pain kicked in again, and he doubled over, hand grabbing for the railing to keep his balance as blood was coughed up onto the lawn. Panting, the cook looked up to see the swordsman tense, no longer leaning casually against the wall, the piercing gaze cast in his direction.

"How are you holding up?" Zoro asked in a low voice, though the words seemed slightly forced, they did harbor genuine concern for a crewmate.

"You're one to talk…" Sanji said between breaths. "You make your sacrifices, I'll make mine."

* * *

 _Blood, blood, BLOOOOOOOOOD, annnnnnnnd death! (shush zootopia's great try everything is still meh jam)_

 _Well, um, yah. I mean, hey at least I made Sanji more relevant! (In like the worst way possible)_

 _Anyway, to thank me for ruining your day with the imagery, why not leave a review :3_

 _Byeee!_


	15. Reasons

_I want to thank everyone who has read my little one-shot about this couple (psst if you didn't you should totally go read it [shameless self promo shhhhhh]) and_ **echosong258** _for their kind review, but without further delay, here is the next chapter to "Heartbreaker" that unveils a dark portion of Zoro's past that indirectly sealed his destiny._

 _(lol im starting to sound like a movie trailer)_

* * *

 _ **Reasons**_

Robin once again sat in the crow's nest as she watched Zoro pump his right arm up and down, in his hand a humongous dumbbell that Robin always had trouble believing could be lifted by anyone using brute strength alone, yet here she is, watching a nakama do it with ease. But then again, Zoro has never been normal. A book lay open on her lap, the pages flipping wildly back and forth due to the breeze making its way into the room via the open window. She had always enjoyed watching Zoro train and exercise his body in a variety of different ways, and sometimes he would even bother to explain some of them to her if she pesters him enough.

"You haven't used your left arm today," Robin remarked, the small detail not escaping her observant nature.

"I'm not going to." Came the suppose "reply", though it really didn't answer her hidden question, which she was sure even a numbskull like him should be able to detect.

"Does it hurt?" She pushed. She knew that pushing Zoro to admit pain is probably a bad idea and will usually end with him snapping back "I'm fine!", however, Robin has grown closer…?… to the swordsman, and wishes to ensure his safety. As she leaned forward for a more inquiring look, the movement worked up her injury, and she bit her lip to keep from calling out. Wrapping her arms around herself, Robin's hand brushed the book and it toppled off her leg to land with a dull "thump" on the floor, flipping back to its title page: _Promise of the Eleventh Night_.

"No." Came the expected answer, though the next part wasn't quite as expected. "You?"

"I'm fine," Robin assured with a smile, before bending to pick up the book, Zoro tracking her movements, his arm pumping rhythmically through it all. A few beads of sweat had emerged on his forehead, but really, when has that ever stopped him. However, as his eye landed on the book, the dumbbell fell with a deafening "clunk" on the wooden floor and he snatched it from the ground before she could pick it up. "Zoro?"

"Where did you get this?" His voice sank dangerously low, and even "The Demon Child" Nico Robin was chilled down to her bones.

"I found it on the corner of the deck a few days ago, I wasn't sure where it had come from, but it seemed interesting enough." Robin answered, keeping her voice steady despite being slightly freaked out by Zoro's sudden and abnormal behavior.

"So this is why…" Zoro muttered, half to himself, though Robin's sharp hearing caught it. Ok, maybe she did have help from one of her extra ears, but the point is, she heard it.

"Why what?" Genuine curiosity got the better of her as she stood to look at the book beside him. She couldn't see anything particularly special about the worn out cover or the book itself, the only thing she had noticed slightly strange about it was the words scribbled in the top right corner of each page as well as some blotches of ink and another liquid. The strangest thing by far though, was that the words…weren't words. So far, she has seen "uyevo", "oafvreti", "rgenvee", and "ahetd". She has tried reading them backwards, but that didn't yield any results, so she scrambled the letters and attempted to find meaning behind this random gibberish, though she supposed she got distracted by Zoro's disuse of his left arm.

"This is why he's after me." Zoro "clarified", though who in the world this "he" is, he didn't say, not that Robin couldn't guess.

"What do the words say?" Robin inquired, cutting straight to the point she wanted to talk about. "The ones on the top right."

To her surprise, he straight up told her. "You've always been her favorite, I will seek revenge until the day of my death."

A scramble of _who what when where why_ immediately present itself in Robin's head, setting her gears spinning. 'Who is this 'her'? In what aspect 'her favorite'? When did this happen? Where could this book have come from? And of course, why, why, why?' She understood the pain of being looked down on, she had lived with it for 20 years, and yes, sometimes the grudge does resurface when she's talking to certain people who just seem to tick her off, but it isn't a matter that should require such persistent revenge and horror. Looking up from the book, she found herself face to face with Zoro, his singular functional eye inches away from her own. "Z-Zoro?"

"Everyone has their reasons, this is Noroi's." The eye narrowed, then retreated along with the rest of Zoro's body.

"Wind Cutter Noroi?!" Robin exclaimed, her hands going to her mouth. "That man…"

"Now I know why Saga never told me the name or identity of his pursuer, he knew the history, he knew his nature."

"History…?"

"It's not a pleasant one." Robin said nothing, simply inquired with her defined blue eyes, Zoro didn't look at her, but she knew he felt the question.

"I know his nature too, this isn't something I can share." His tone hardened to a substance sturdier than iron, and Robin knew that all hope of finding out about this "history" was gone. She nodded, and when Zoro left through the trapdoor with the book under his arm, she followed suit, and left to the study room as he padded towards his usual napping spot on the deck.

* * *

 _Many years ago, at Shimotsuki Village_

"Sensei. That katana… please give it to me." A boy requested at a small dojo in the East Blue, his eyesight blurry with tears and his voice trembling with hundreds of unexpressed emotions.

"Kuina's katana?"

"I will… take her share of training and become even stronger! I'll become so strong that my name will reach the heavens! I'll become the strongest swordsman in the world!" The boy finally paused to breath, when he spoke again, his voice was softer. "We promised… I… I…" Here he broke off, the tears stopping him from saying another word.

"That's fine," the man responded after a few moments of watching the young boy. "Kuina's soul and dreams… I leave them to you." With these words, the Wado Ichimonji passed from Kuina's soul into the hands of her rival and best friend, Roronoa Zoro, at 10 years old.

With his request granted, the boy broke down into sobbing, his screams of anguish reaching the heavens as he grieved the loss of his friend while clutching onto his promise and a part of her soul through her prized katana. Through it all, the boy was unaware that the duo had an eavesdropper, going by the name of Wakazumi Noroi, at 16 years old.

Noroi, like every other person at the dojo, was completely devastated by the loss of Kuina, but it was different for him, and he was convinced that no one will ever understand. He had liked Kuina, a lot, a lot a lot, but she's never paid much attention to him. She was unrivaled at the dojo, and the few times they spared, she would beat him, then leave him be and go to train on her own or with that cursed moss hair. Noroi found extrodinary satisfaction in watching Kuina defeat Zoro with one hit almost every single time, and the way she would mock him afterwards attracted him greatly to the girl. Due to this strange attraction, jealousy soon bore fruit within his heart.

Noroi grounded his teeth as he overheard the conversation that went on inside the small and simple wooden structure.

" _Kuina's soul and dreams… I leave them to you."_

Why Roronoa? WHY RORONOA? Noroi's heart threatened to crack into pieces as he remembered the time that Roronoa spent with the Sensei's daughter, and bitter, bitter envy rose in his heart, shrouding all logic and reason. She even gave him the pleasure of fighting her with real swords, he had witnessed that too, hidden behind the trees and observing from afar. His inhuman hearing had also caught the vow that passed between them, and he had to keep himself from flinging his katana at Roronoa and sending him to the lowest levels of hell.

Now the girl he loved was gone, and her one memory was passed on to GOD DAMNED RORONOA. From his pocket, Noroi pulled out a small book, _Promise of the Eleventh Night_ , and clutched it to his chest. This was a gift that Kuina had given him on his first birthday at the dojo, and it described an oath between two fellow swordsmen, each wanting to surpass the other. It had been his source of joy and ecstasy for the longest time, until he witnessed the similar promise made between Kuina and Roronoa. Now, every time he looks at this book, flames of pure rage and hatred fill his already blackened and lifeless soul.

In his own room, Noroi had taken out a pen, scrambled the letters in a message, and scribble a word onto every page, the order also scrambled. "I swear, Roronoa," he growled, the sound more animal than human. "I will kill you, and I will take her katana, and _**I**_ will accomplish her goal, not a worthless piece of scum like you." The ink leaked through the pages and rendered some parts unreadable. "You were always Sensei's favorite, _her_ favorite. If it weren't for you, if you didn't challenge her to use her real sword, she wouldn't have had to clean it, and she would have survived." Noroi's tears splashed onto the book, mixing with the ink. "I will seek revenge until the day of my death."

Slamming the book shut, Noroi stuffed it back in his pocket and stomped out the door. He would train, and he would crush Roronoa so hard that he begs for mercy. He will surpass Dracule Mihawk, and he will rule all swordsman with an iron fist. "I promise, Kuina, a worthless shit like him won't even get the chance to touch the name of Greatest Swordsman in the World. I'll do it, and I'll kill Hawk-Eyes with your very own katana, once I wrench it from the dead, cold hands of Roronoa Zoro."

* * *

 _Remember way back when I said that the reasons behind Noroi's actions will be revealed much, much later? Yah me neither, it was too long ago._

 _But alas, the "much, much later" has finally come, and here I present to you Wakazumi (I can't do Japanese names I am so sorry) Noroi and his twisted reasoning and motive behind his hatred for everyone's favorite moss head, Roronoa Zoro.  
_

 _Soooooo, to reward me for finally making the "much, much later" come true, leave a review (pweeeeeeaaaaaaase :3)?_

 _Also please tell me what you think about Noroi and his motives, are they cliche? Are they blinded by hate and jealousy (well... I mean, yah duh)? And are they justified in their own twisted, immoral way?_

 _Thanks for reading, have a good rest of your day/night, and I shall come to bother you with another chapter next week._

 _Byeeeeeee!_


	16. You Can, You Do, You Will

_First of all, thank you_ **Victoria Horn** _for your kind review, and as for your question and confusion... well, the answer shall be revealed. How soon, I cannot say, but it's coming, so get ready for it ;)_

 _(a lot of things... a lot of things are happening to zoro right now)_

 _Warning: Possible OOC for Nami, but I tried ;-;_

* * *

 _ **You Can, You Do, You Will**_

Zoro sat on the deck, the book in his hands, turning it over and over again to make sure it's the real one. He knew it was from the various ink splotches and the scribbled words at the top, but he wanted it to be fake, more badly than he was comfortable with. But… a thought flashed through his head, and immediately he felt ashamed for even having the idea, but… now that Noroi has become so strong… now that he is about to surpass Mihawk… maybe it's for the best that he… No. No, no, no. He may not be as strong as that husk of a man yet, but he is bound by the promise of a childhood friend, and until he reaches his goal, Zoro _will not_ give in to fate, to death, to whatever deity or devil that wants him annihilated. Standing, the swordsman curled his fingers around the Wado Ichimonji, vowed to take down Noroi, stuffed the book into his robe and stood up, preparing to go inside the crow's nest for another intensive training session.

* * *

"Sanji-Kun," Nami called to the cook as he was just about to step inside the kitchen, and it took all of a millisecond before he is in front of her doing his weird tornado dance.

"Yes? Nami-swannnnnn?" His visible eye was a heart and similar shapes were popping out of the air around him. Honestly, Nami sometimes wondered whether he had the power to reach across to a heart dimension in order to sprout so many of them.

"Have you noticed something going on between a certain two members of the crew?" Nami asked, tucking a piece of her fiery hair behind her ear, her earring tinkling a bit at the movement.

"NAMI-SWAN'S BEAUTY IS BEYON-" Sanji's expression and emotions suddenly took a plunge towards the sea floor as he registered Nami's question, and an aura of crippling depression engulfed the cook. "..."

Promptly ignoring Sanji's sudden gloom, Nami continued down her own line of thought. "I never thought that dense, numbskulled idiot would have the potential to love someone. I mean, I should have seen enough miracles in the Grand Line and New World to not be surprised, but this is a miracle in a miracle in a miracle." Nami was starting to get excited, her hands starting to scale the air as she waved them around ecstatically. Sanji sank deeper into his lament as Nami continued, almost more depressed than when his first wanted poster was revealed. Nami, of course, ignored this reaction and continued with her analysis.

"Robin too, she's never been the romantic type, yet here we are." ("That shitty marimo") Nami was really getting worked up now, her orange hair flapping in the wind, she stood and started pacing, her arms never taking a rest as she paced around the upper deck of the Sunny, telling no one in particular about what she has found. Poor Sanji, not wanting to leave Nami-San's side but sinking deeper and deeper into his world of sadness the more the navigator talks about that shitty marimo and the beautiful, mature, and flawless Robin-Chan, is now on the ground, the dark aura encircling him as his life slowly lost its meaning.

"Ah, Sanji-San!" Brook exclaimed as he saw Sanji laying face down on the Sunny's deck. "I thought you were dead and it almost stopped my heart." Pause. "Although I don't have a heart. Yohohohoho."

"SKULL JOKE!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp screamed in the background, their arms thrown into the air and their eyes sparkling. However, the tiny doctor's celebration was cut short when his brain registered the sight of Sanji spread flat to the ground like one of the giants had squashed him with their foot, a cup of hot tea still emitting steam at his side.

"EEEHHHHH? SANJI?!" Chopper's eyes popped way out of their sockets, his tongue accompanying them as it shot out of the reindeer's wide open mouth.

Meanwhile, Nami was still muttering away under her breath. "I suppose they are a nice pairing to an extent, they _are_ the most mature of the group. Perhaps if I could just get them t-"

"Miss Navigator, what are you talking about?" A voice suddenly queried, the shock startling Nami out of her daydreaming and right over the railing of the Sunny, plummeting towards the sea below. Fortunately, the speaker was Robin, and extra appendages soon materialized on the ship's side and caught the navigator before she had the chance to hit the water. "Are you alright?" The historian asked, concern spread across her features. "Apologies for startling you." As she talked, the archeologist slowly ascended the navigator back on the ship, setting her down firmly on her feet.

"No no, don't worry about it." Nami said, a bit too quickly, an awkward smile plastered on her face and a flush starting to creep up her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to force the blush away through sheer willpower, though without much success.

"What were you talking about?" Robin inquired again, her tone implying that an extra ear had picked up everything Nami had said, and that the archeologist was simply trying to drag a confession out of the younger woman.

"I, um, uh, I was…" Nami was cut off by a sudden airborne feeling as she was lifted into the air and laid down flat on her back on… feet. "Robin?"

"Come with me." Robin commanded, and walked away, the legs sprouting out of Nami's back forcefully taking her with them as she thrashed around, trying to get a sense of certainty by touching the ground, even if it's just a graze. At last, the navigator gave up her futile attempts and allowed the archeologist to take her wherever she wanted, trusting Robin to not hit or bump her against anything on their way to… wherever they were going.

As they drew closer to their destination, Nami realized that they headed to the study, where she would surely interrogate her on her possibly quite disrespectful rambling on the topic of a possible pairing. Though not looking forward to it much, Nami supposed that she deserved it. As Robin opened the door, Sanji tore his way across the ship after the ladies (with Chopper yelling for him to stop moving so much), only to have the door slam shut in his face,causing him to run into it full force and flatten into a pancake, courtesy of more of Robin's sprouted limbs.

Once inside, Robin dumped Nami on the ground, careful to not do it too hard as to hurt the navigator, but not the most gently either. "What makes you think Zoro would be interested in anything even close to that?" Robin asked, her voice calm and soft as ever, though a more stern undertone layered it. 'He has enough to worry about.' She silently added, though keeping in mind Zoro's condition in exchange for telling her the entire story, she didn't say anything out loud.

"Isn't he?" Nami argued defiantly. After a pause and one of Robin's glares, Nami decided to inform the archeologist on what happened the night of the stranger's assault. "You were unconscious when it happened, so I suppose you have an excuse in thinking that way." This earned Nami another glare from her fellow female crewmate, to which she stuck out her tongue innocently before suddenly taking on a much more serious tone. "Robin, I think it's real. You didn't see how he had reacted when that man was about to kill you, when you were within an inch of your life. You didn't see his anguish, his desperation, his fear. Zoro, of all people," the navigator explained to Robin, her voice dropping lower and lower until it was barely audible with the last sentence, which fully alerted Robin to the extreme significance of this incident. "Seemed like he was about to break into tears."

* * *

Robin sat alone in her room after Nami had left, dumbfounded and utterly unsure of how to feel about what the other woman had told her.

" _Zoro, of all people, seemed like he was about to break into tears."_

Zoro crying… for her? No, that's impossible, it's simply too bizarre to be true, how can someone as cold and unfeeling as him possibly find it in him to cry for someone else? Much less love them. As far as she is aware, the only things Zoro harbor love for are his katanas, the two significant figures back at his dojo in the East Blue, and the crew as a whole. Still, all of that is simply friendship or respect, or in the case of his katanas, adoration as well as a sense of duty to the weight of a promise. Anything beyond that… Robin shook her head, it is simply incomprehensible, Zoro doesn't cry, it's something that resides too far outside his normal character and personality for him to do. But… what reason does Nami have to lie to her, what reason does she have to speak untruths about Zoro? What if… it's true? Once again Robin straight up rejected the thought. It couldn't be, it was simply impossible. But she has seen the impossible before, she has seen the Strawhats declare war on the world simply because she was their nakama. No no, this is more impossible than that, in fact, just thinking about the possibilities gave her a headache. Thus far in her life, Zoro has been a puzzle that she just can't piece together. No matter how much she tried, there always seemed to be pieces missing or wrongly constructed, and every time she would end up back to the drawing board, all the pieces laid out before her, trying again and again without success.

" _Seemed like he was about to break into tears."_

'How in the world is that possible?' No matter how Robin thought about it, only one answer comes to mind: it isn't.

* * *

Wiping away the sweat on his forehead, Zoro threw the towel back on the shelf, of course, not bothering to fold it. Slipping on his green coat, Zoro tucked his katanas into his red sash and slid down the ladder onto the lawn of the Sunny, where he gave his surroundings a half interested scan. As his functional eye passed the small ring of seating area surrounding the main mast, it narrowed in confusion.

Robin and Nami sat side by side as they went through a pile of… clothes? Yah, clothes. The girls seemed to be checking out a giant pile of clothing that the Strawhats have harbored in the past, including some of his own, such as the yellow open jacket he sported during Enies Lobby and the long, blue shirt he wore on the sky island. There was also Luffy's desert robes as well as several of the girls' past outfits. As his eyes landed on the piece of garment currently held in Robin's hands, he inwardly shuddered. The white and red striped open shirt brought back too many… let's say, unpleasant memories. At one point, Nami glanced down at the three small glass orbs resting on a brown wooden band on her arm, also known as their primary guide during their voyage: the log pose. After a quick look up ahead, Nami gave a small, satisfied smile and went back to picking through the bag of clothing, seems like they were on the right course.

Shrugging, Zoro decided to leave the reasoning behind the action as simple incomprehensible women logic. Turning, Zoro was about to leave to find a spot for a small nap when he caught Nami waving him over at the corner of his eye. 'What can that witch possibly want from me?' He wondered grumpily, but shuffled over anyway, just so that he won't have to deal with her wrath later. As he made his way over to the girls, he noticed that Robin was staring at Nami, a slightly accusing light glinting in her eyes as she seemed to reprimand the navigator with them. 'What's with her?'

He didn't have time to finish the thought before his instincts tingled at the presence of one behind him. As he spun around, something connected with his back and sent him stumbling forward, his sheaths clattering against one another as he tried to regain his balance. Preparing to turn around and punch the absolute shit out of whoever had pushed him, Zoro looked up and found Robin's large, blue ringed eyes searing into his own mere centimeters away.

* * *

 _Meanwhile..._

"Everything went according to plan?"

"Beautifully executed."

"Now all that's left to do is to tighten the net."

Murderous laughter echoed through the small space, the very Earth seeming to shiver from the killing intent buried in all five voice. The voices varied greatly, from high to low, soft to loud, scratchy to smooth, but horrifying all the same.

* * *

 _Some time later..._

"So Boss, this man, what do we do with him?"

"We use him to accomplish our own goals. We use him to make me the king."

"And then we squash his body and soul."

"Exactly."

* * *

 _~On a deserted island residing in the Grand Line~_

After his pitiful job as "bait" was forced upon him and finished, Saga set himself to train harder and harder, going as far as to seemingly enter the stage of near obsession that Zoro is so renown for among his crew. He despised the way that he had allowed his capture, the way that he had allowed such harm to befall his friend in his presence.

His sword sang through the air as he swung it at such speeds that it sliced the tip off the grass several meters away. 'If I confront Zoro about his condition, his sacrifice, he would only bring up mine.' The sword left traces of rippling air behind it as it soared towards an unfortunate stone wall.

 _His right arm was engulfed in blinding agony as the chain tightened around it, completely grinding down any bones it comes across, but still he somehow managed a small smile as he looked up at his green-haired friend._

" _I won't die, now go think of a way to get me out of here."_

" _If you die, I will personally kill you again, so stay alive, I'm coming back."_

 _As soon as the familiar face disappeared from his sight, Saga bit down a cry as he heard the footsteps subside. At least one of them will live to accomplish their dream. Only seconds later, the ship erupted into flames, and he lost all sense of time and space as he sank into oblivion._

" _SAGA!"_

'You cannot bring justice to the world this way,' his mind growled. "You cannot seek to protect the world when you cannot protect your friends.' His sword neared the rough material with every passing second. 'You cannot be considered strong if you can only watch helpless as your friends go and die for you!' Ten centimeters, five centimeters. 'YOU HAVE TO BECOME STRONGER!' The sword buried itself up to the hilt in the thick wall, piercing through the hard, sturdy rock as if it were paper.

He stared at the hilt, and once again he remembered the shameful capture, though perhaps fated.

* * *

Zoro's first thought was 'WHAT THE HELL!', his second thought was 'I'm so going to kill that shitty cook.' At this point, he has analyzed the pressure and texture of the object used to shove him to arrive at the conclusion that said object was Sanji's foot. And his third thought was 'what?' Mr. Nosebleed there is infamous for his absolute love of the female population, how and why is it that he is pushing his sworn enemy towards one of the woman he adored most? Zoro soon got his answer in the form of a depressed mumble behind him.

"If it wasn't for Nami-san, I would have totally kicked your sorry ass in the opposite direction."

A growl forming deep in his throat, Zoro was about to turn and teach that annoying bastard a lesson when his hand brushed Robin's, once again reminding him of the uncomfortably small distance between the two. At the touch, a weird, tingling feeling rushed throughout his body, and Zoro shivered involuntarily before mentally slapping himself. Reaching out his left arm to push himself upright, Zoro ignored the dull, thudding pain as he turned and clicked a katana out of its sheath, the hilt pointed at Sanji. "I don't have time for this kind of bullshit." He spat. "I-"

"You can, you do, you will." Interrupted one fiery, orange-haired navigator, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips.

* * *

 _I. Am. SO excited for the next chapter (I later realized that I was talking about the chapter after that, seeing as the next chapter is a bit of a set up and a reveal, not really, about Saga)!_

 _No, there's not exactly fluff...? But I like it, and I think you'll see why._

 _Also, speaking of fluff, FLUFF COMING SOON AHHHHHH I IS EXCITED!_

 _Fluff! Fluff! Fluff! Fluff! Flu-_

 _*Ahem* Hello there. Here I am again to save you from Flower's excited rampage and to ask you POLITELY (what? im polite too!) to leave a review for this story. Thank you in advance and please enjoy the rest of your day/night while I go deal with this overly excited unhealthily obsessed Zorobin mess, bye._


	17. The Fated Capture

_Yah the name's a bit cheesy, I know, but I couldn't find another one suitable for it. Also, another short chapter, though the next one will the be the longest one yet (be preparrrrreeed!)_

 _So this is the set-up chapter that I had planned to put back to back with either "The World Is Your Enemy" or "The World Government Moves" or something else, but then I was told that it could get boring that way, so here it is, such a long time later, finally ready to be read :D Enjoy!_

 _pst, im sooo excited for le next chpt thers actual fluf can u believ dat_

* * *

 ** _The Fated Capture_**

Saga was tired of running, tired of being a coward, but perhaps it was for the best. If the only consequence was death, he would have much rather be caught than this act of cowardice, but right now, he isn't running for himself, he is running for his friend.

'Zoro… what would you say if you saw me like this?' Saga wondered. His long, silver hair is sticking up all over his head, tangled and dirty, some parts looking more brown than its natural tone. His purple robe was ripped and rumpled, patches were missing, and dirt stained the sleeves. His boots were practically worn off his feet, leaving several of his toes exposed and bleeding, as well as the material on one one being ripped through by a thick, sharp branch, leaving a gashing wound in its wake, stretching from the middle of his calf to slightly above his ankle.

Saga can hear his friend's voice in his head, giving him a mocking laugh while stating, "you're pathetic." Suddenly, footsteps thudded across the forest floor, and Saga made up his mind.

'Enough running.' Saga's eyes shot open, his pupils full of determination. 'Zoro, I'm sorry.' Standing up, his posture ringing of pride and authority despite his rumpled appearance, he drew out his sword, turned, and came face to face with about fifty marines, surrounding him on all sides.

Releasing a war cry into the blue sky, Saga raised his sword, and plunged into the group of soldiers.

* * *

Fifty of them attacked him at once, weapons all aiming to knock him out cold, some ambitious blades even aiming to take his life.

'It won't be so easy, you morons.' Saga thought as he parried strike after strike and began his counterattack. Charging at a marine, he swiped his sword across the man's chest, staining his blade with blood and watching as it spilled from the open wound. Turning, Saga ran his sword through another marine charging at him, hearing the rip of cloth and flesh as the sword protruded out the marine's back.

"You bastard!" Another soldier howled, sprinting towards him.

"You left an opening." Saga remind him as he flicked the marine's sword to the side and slit his throat wide open. "Don't do that again, not that you can."

Several rushed at him from different directions, and as Saga cut down three of them, the fourth slipped through his defense and vertically slashed his body from collarbone to waist, and pain blinded him. Amidst the chaos in his mind, Saga found the logic and reason he needs to win. Strategically avoiding the marine's blade, Saga clamped his hand around the soldier's wrist, and he saw the strings. The strings of life, there for his manipulation. His phantom hand reached out, clutched the string, and pulled. It severed instantly.

Before the eyes of everyone, the marine's hair grayed, his body shrunk, his skin wrinkled. As the others watched, stunned to their cores, the soldier who had wounded Saga shriveled up into an old man and died. Said victim of the wound took a deep breath, picked up his sword, and turned to face his remaining adversaries, his eyes challenging.

They charged once more, and Saga fought around the pain as he parried, struck, grabbed onto their hands, and snuffed out their existence. Parry. Strike. Sever. Parry. Strike. Sever.

Corpses littered the clearing as two more soldiers charged at him, and as he struggled to hold his own against one, the other aimed right for his back. With another roar, Saga turned to block the incoming sword, though leaving his chest completely unguarded.

" _A wound on the back is a swordsman's humiliation."_

An ambitious marine, seeing the opening, lunged for Saga's heart, only for his weapon to be knocked out of his hand at the last moment by some mysterious force. A shadow flew over head and grabbed Saga's wrist, hauling him into the air alongside the sudden assailant, the impact instantly dislocating his shoulder.

"Tsk, tsk! He's miiiiiinnnne." The intruder sang as he swung through the air with his newly caught prey.

Saga saw the strings again, saw the string that belonged to the stranger, saw the thing that can kill him within seconds. His phantom hand reached out again, grabbing desperately for the whispery line, but to no avail. The sudden pain of his shoulder dislocation, combined with his wound received just minutes earlier, rendered Saga unconscious as he sailed through the air, the phantom hand just falling short of severing the string.

As the man swung out of sight, not a single soul was left alive in the clearing.

* * *

When he awoke once more, Saga was bound tightly with ropes and his arm was restricted by Kairoseki handcuffs, no wonder he couldn't find a drop of strength in his body. Looking around, Saga winced at the pain in his wound and dislocated shoulder, but found something that worried him more than himself. A small distance away, a woman lay on her side, facing away from him. She had raven black hair and wore a dark purple dress, her hands also cuffed by Kairoseki.

"I got you~" A voice crooned as a startlingly handsome face appeared in his line of sight. This face was all angles and planes, with medium sized, burning eyes, arching eyebrows, a defined nose, and refined lips. "It seems like fate was on my side this time." The man disappeared without another word, though the brief encounter was enough to tell Saga that the man had recently sustained injuries and was still recovering.

Before he can finish his analysis, Saga was ruthlessly kicked into what he soon found out was sea water, instantaneously sapping at his strength. The world faded in and out of the focus, and the last thing he glimpsed was the sliver of a green haramaki.

* * *

 ** _Spoilers coming for One Piece chapter 919, do not keep reading if you do not wish to have a small section spoiled, though still leave a review please._**

 _And now you know Saga's side of the story! Yayay! And much like Zoro's eye, it feels frickin weird to write Saga with only one arm -_-_

 _The whole story is going to be revealed later on piece by piece, so look forward that that~_

 _Also, who else is excited for Wano! Like omg Zoro disappeared where did he go is he gonna get hurt please don't make a Thriller Bark II like noooooooooo (Flower you should be narrating right now, and I'm not gonna carry it for you this time_ _, will you calm down and you can rant to me later, OK?)_

 _Omg Ok!_

 _Anyway, you know the drill: read, review, enjoy, bye!_


	18. Recognition

_I'm not even going to try and have Flower narrate, believe me, I'm doing you a favor. Now, since Flower has been pestering me to tell you who I am, I supposed I'll drop a hint: I do have a part in the story, and Flower has proceeded to make herself jealous because of some element of this plot. Now go ahead and guess._

* * *

 _ **Recognition**_

"You can, you do, you will." Interrupted one fiery, orange-haired navigator, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips.

Zoro's mouth opened instinctively to protest when Usopp's voice reached them from his placement up at the crow's nest. "Island! Island!"

Zoro spared the island a glance before shifting his gaze back to Nami, once again ready to argue, when he realized that something just wasn't right. The navigator has taken on a strange look, her eyes flitting between the log pose secured on her wrist and the incoming land mass, a frown darkening her face, which was all mischief and evilness just moments ago, or at least, Nami evilness in Zoro terms.

"What is it, Nami-San?" Curly brows, also sensing the navigator's distress, inquired, concern lacing his voice, also, to his credit, without all the hearts and lovey dovey stuff. Robin had also directed her attention to her female comrade, and all three of them waited, Zoro quite impatiently, for an answer.

"There shouldn't be an island here," three sets of eyebrows shot up, "neither of the three needles indicate that anything is there, in fact, they're all pointing in quite opposite directions." Robin's eyebrows descended from on the top of her forehead into a frown, and Zoro could tell from her expression that she was quite confused by this fact, it wasn't like Nami to keep them sailing off course. "But," The navigator suddenly added, "I could have sworn the most stable one was pointing this way a few minutes ago when I checked it last."

Before anyone could come up with a hypothesis as to why there is such a sudden change in the direction of the needles, their childish, slightly obnoxious, and completely unsuspecting captain ran for the figurehead, where he stood clutching the lion's mane. "Island! Island! Island!" The glint of fresh adventure was true in his eyes, and the four gathered beneath the mast knew that there was no way that they were going to convince their captain to follow the pose.

"I suppose we'll land on the island, and then figure out what's happening with the log pose." Nami said, her tone thoughtful as she lightly rapped on the glass surrounding the compass of the Grand Line. "Franky!" She called to the rooms below. "Dock the ship! We've reached an island!"

"Ryōkai!" Came the blue-haired shipwright's reply, and the Sunny was soon on its way to settling at the island. All seemed well until Nami's panicked screams rose above the excitement of new adventure.

"STOP THE SUNNY! STOP THE SUNNY!" The startled crew launched into action at once, well, the crew except for Luffy, who still stood on the figurehead like a hero returning home from his voyage, now looking quite confused and staring at Nami with an inquiring look. Zoro shot his captain an annoyed glance before running to see the problem, quickly spotting it in the form of a giant shadow looming ahead just below the sea water. If it isn't observed with the sunlight hitting the water at exactly the right angle, it can be impossible to spot. Zoro's good eye narrowed, and he turned and ran for the main mast, scaling it in seconds and grabbing the ropes that control the sails. Brook stood opposite him, with another length of rope in his bony, literally, hands. The two men heaved at the ropes, desperately trying to back the sail so that it catches the wind opposite the second sail, therefore stopping the Thousand Sunny. However, before either could accomplish their task, the impact came.

The sudden shock threw the entire crew forward, most losing their footing and falling onto the deck. Brook straight up fell from the mast, his skeletal limbs flailing as he plummeted to the wooden floor, not that it was going to cause him any harm due to his newfound abilities and understandings of the Yami Yami no mi. A high pitched noise rose from his throat…?… nevertheless, and it was only when Robin caught the skeleton with a giant hand that he relaxed and had the spirit to crack one of his classic skull jokes.

"Ah! I was so scared my heart went to my throat! Not that-"

"Not that you have a heart! We know!" The crew told the skeleton in unison, sending him into a state of depression.

"Min'na-San, you're not supposed to do that…"

Zoro saved himself by grabbing onto a rope and swinging along with it as it shuddered during the impact. When the commotion died down enough for the swordsman to climb back up, he did just that, and continued to stand on the mast like nothing has happened. Nami and Robin were both thrown forward, with Robin's extra appendages saving both of them from doing a faceplant on the hard, wooden surface, to which Sanji, who had remained on his feet, quietly mumbled his disappointment at not being able to catch on of the ladies, earning himself a reasonable sized bump on his head from his adored Nami-San. Usopp's prized telescope was sent toppling into the air once more, and the sharpshooter frantically grabbed for it as it fell towards the sea floor for the second time that week, all the while muttering "nonononononono". Thankfully, he was able to grab it in the nick of time before it went overboard, and the sniper smiled. "I wasn't worried at all."

A smaller ruckus was created among the continuous shuddering of the Sunny as Chopper was thrown out of his room, the weight of his small body forcing open the slightly ajar door. The small reindeer tumbled across the lower deck and was stopped by Franky, who had climbed out of the lower rooms to see what had happened to the ship and was currently having some sort of panic attack. "Sunny!" As Chopper was tossed over by the impact and smacked against his metal legs, Franky was ripped out of his horrified trance and looked down at the small doctor. "Oi, Chopper, you alright?"

"Fine." The small doctor replied, his eyes swirly due to the continuous rolling that he did to get to this point. "Dizzy…" His tongue lolled out and Chopper seemingly unconsciously complained. "Bleh."

However, the poor soul that was hit hardest by the impact was none other than the captain, Monkey D. Luffy himself. Being the one to stand at the head of the ship and least prepared for the sudden lack of balance, the rubber boy was thrown right off his special seat and into the clutches of the merciless ocean waves, flailing and yelling as he went.

"Ano baka!" Zoro snarled, and after setting his katanas aside, leapt into the shimmering depths after his captain. Honestly, he should be used to this by now. His surroundings flew past him as he soared towards the blue surface, his green coat flapping in the wind as he got nearer and nearer to the water and his childish captain, finally diving in with a small splash.

Once in the water, he immediately spotted Luffy's red vest glimmering in the ocean blue, and swam towards it. Grabbing his captain by the collar and giving him an annoyed look, Zoro kicked up to the surface and raised his captain's head above the water. "What. An. Idiot." His only response was muffled gibberish as the sea sapped at the Devil Fruit user's strength. Sighing, Zoro swam back to the Sunny and chucked his captain aboard before climbing on himself, slipping off his robe to wring it out. Water flowed off the fabric and splashed onto the floor in puddles, its owner not forgetting one last glare at Luffy.

* * *

As Luffy's rubber body deflated and water fountained out through his mouth, his tongue flipped out onto the deck and the most random gibberish was once again uttered by the captain. "Mcjieowlwmcocopd."

"No one can understand you…" Usopp pointed out with a "I give up on my captain" look etched on his face.

Robin smiled at her captain's foolishness, but her eyesight was soon dragged to his rescuer. Zoro, as usual, had a stern look to him as he dried off his coat, leaving his torso bare when something caught her eye. A long, thin, black line stretched from Zoro's left shoulder all the way down to his wrist, standing out stark against his abnormally pale skin. Frowning, Robin didn't get the chance to investigate further as the swordsman slipped his coat back on despite the moisture still clinging to the cloth. As she looked over the first mate, Robin's heart missed a beat, yet she somehow managed to remain physically calm. He looked so… frail? His chest was heaving, and his exhaustion was quite evident, though he was no doubt trying to hide it. Normally, swimming that small of a distance wouldn't even wind him, but this… was his health really deteriorating at such a rapid pace? When Zoro sneezed, water still dripping from his body, Robin's feet carried her to the swordsman, not entirely by her will, while at the same time extra limbs materialized on the mast and grabbed his three katanas, passing them down foot by foot along the mast, disembodied hands springing out of the wood to catch the swords as the pair above handed them down.

"You're gonna catch a cold dressed like that." Robin told him, pausing in front of him and offering his katanas, which he snatched back with a grumbled thanks. Robin silently raised an eyebrow, did the infamous Pirate Hunter Zoro just say "thank you" to her? Well, she supposed she should feel honored. Standing next to him by the railing, Robin looked up at the sky, where cotton-candy like clouds floated across the dazzling blue, blocking out the sun at times and casting its own shadow on the Sunny, as if to remind them that even the sun isn't all powerful.

"People who catch colds have weak hearts." This is quite nostalgic, Robin thought, in fact, this is an exact replica of the first real conversation she had ever shared with this swordsman beside her.

"Well, I wonder if someone somewhere is spreading stories, about Pirate Hunter Zoro." She went along with it, simply repeating what she had said two years ago. Heck, even the scenario matched.

Zoro gave her a look that told her that he also remembered this, and judging from his personality, Robin was quite assured that he wouldn't continue playing this childish game. He surprised her again.

"I never once called myself a pirate hunter." The words were the same, but at this time around, they carried another tone. He wasn't quite the untrusting and suspicious youth that he was two years ago. Yes, he still carried those qualities with him, but they weren't directed towards her anymore, and if she looked closely enough, she thought she could detect the faintest shadow of a smile playing on the swordsman's lips. Or it was just her imagination, she likes to think that it wasn't.

"Then, who gave you such a cool name?" Robin asked, her lips curling into a smile as fresh waves of nostalgia flooded her.

"Who knows, doesn't matter to me." The swordsman repeated the last line of their first conversation, officially wrapping up their small session of remembering, by then, Robin was sure that he was smiling. Emitting a trademark giggle, the archeologist walked away to join the others, who were gathered around Nami, no doubt listening and complying with the navigator's orders. Yes, she was still worried, but she knows that Zoro is more than capable of taking care of himself.

"…uffy and Sanji will go explore the island and alert us of any possible dangers or anything interesting, and Robin," Nami waved to Robin as she joined the circle, "Brook, and I will go gather information regarding the island and its history, as well as learn the reason for the pose's strange behavior." Nami held up her arm, the needles still pointing in the opposite directions of the island. A chorus of "Hai!"s and "Yes, ma'am"s and a few lovestruck "Nami-San"s greeted her words as the crew scattered to do their respective jobs, Luffy nearly exploding with excitement and Sanji slightly depressed that he isn't allowed to go with the girls and has to watch over his idiotic captain. Seems like no one wanted to deal with Nami's Climatact that day.

The Sunny's dilemma had been assessed, and it was analyzed that the front had rammed into something rough, possibly an underwater rock or hidden coral reef, though nothing of the sort could be seen in the surrounding waters. Anyway, the ship had sustained decent damage and most definitely needed immediate repairs, which Franky was eager to get on. However, the shipwright also expressed certain confusion at the damage the Sunny had taken. Considering the material with which the Sunny was constructed, something as small as a rock or reef should at most give the wood a few scrapes or scratches, but there they were, the Sunny sustaining pretty serious damage from these two primary suspects.

It had been decided that Usopp and Franky would go gather gunpowder, cola, spare parts and such to refuel and fix the ship; Chopper has insisted that he act alone and learn about possible herbs or medical equipment native and unique to this particular island, for having someone with him might distract the reindeer; Luffy and Sanji will explore the island and alert the crew of any interesting finds; Nami, Robin, and Brook will gather information regarding the island and log pose; and of course, Zoro, as usual, will stay to guard the ship.

As Robin prepared to leave with her group, excitement kindling in her at the notion of finding another piece of clue for the void century, she cast one last, long look at the swordsman in his usual position, preparing to take a nap. This island called out to her, and she was positive that something is hidden within the depths of its land, but something also seemed… off… to her, but she can't quite put her fingers around it. Anyway, the unsettling feeling made her worried, especially about the people who are acting alone, though this feeling was directed more towards Zoro than Chopper. From what she had seen at Fisherman Island, she was convinced that the young crew member can take care of himself, considering that he now has full control over his monstrous monster point. Zoro… well, Robin shook her head, she shouldn't doubt him, this _is_ the man that will one day hold the title of Greatest Swordsman in the World, after all.

* * *

As Zoro settled down for his daily nap, he got all but two seconds of closing his eye when something jerked his brain back into action. He distinctly felt the weight of roughly ninety pairs of eyes on him, all but one unfamiliar and harboring a certain sense of hostility. Brows furrowing, the swordsman cracked open his functioning eye and gave the deck a quick scan, immediately finding the source of the familiar gaze as she turned away, hurrying to catch up with Brook and Nami, however, the other pairs of eyes still remained unseen and undetected, disappearing as soon as he had opened his own. 'Hmm, was that my imagination?' Zoro wondered as he slid his eye closed again, though keeping his guard up.

Minutes passed, then hours, and when nothing of interest took place, Zoro allowed his mind to wander slightly, and to his confusion, slight annoyance, and surprise, the first thought that popped into mind was a raven haired, blue eyed beauty. "What the hell is she doing inside my head?" Zoro muttered as he tried to direct his thoughts elsewhere, but they refused to move, it was as if he was a piece of stray metal hopelessly stuck on an exceptionally strong magnet. After a while of wrestling with his own thoughts, Zoro gave in and simply let his mind wander around various topics having to do with Robin.

'I wonder what her past is really about' was the first thought that entered his head, and he realized that the crew still knew next to nothing about her cruel and rancid past, they simply knew that it was cruel and rancid, and they went with it. Zoro has never really been one to dwell too much on certain topics, but this one interested him for some reason. 'Was her environment what gave her such a dark tone to her personality?' He wondered, remembering all the times that Robin had made a remark that was unsettlingly horrific, sometimes even to him.

* * *

" _What's your specialty?"_

" _Assassination."_

* * *

" _How about this name for the ship, Franky? Thousand Sunny!"_

" _Better than my Being of Darkness."_

* * *

" _You've gotta be kidding me! Robin's going too?"_

" _I love thrills."_

* * *

" _That surprised me! The world sure is big."_

" _Was Sanji born under some miracle-star or something?"_

" _Looks like he'll have an interesting death someday."_

* * *

" _Don't know what's happening, but we're all dead!"_

" _I wonder if the sea will turn red if we all get smashed at once."_

* * *

Zoro's lips quirked up into a smile, that was his kind of woman. As soon as the thought finished, he recoiled from it. 'What's wrong with me? I'm not interested in women!' Was he? No, of course not, what kind of question is that?! That's just ridiculous! However, even _his_ will power isn't enough to suppress that little bee buzz of a voice deep in his mind.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're not."

Because he's not, what the hell was that supposed to mean? Because he's not? Ok, now he was talking to himself, he's gotta be going crazy, but that voice in his head, the voice of logic and reason, it caught his attention, and he spent the rest of the shift contemplating its meaning.

* * *

Robin was awed to the core by the masterpiece of Mother Nature that her eyes beheld in the form of the truly magnificent island. All thoughts of unease were wiped from her mind as she drank in the beauty that surrounded her.

Forests littered the island, each one lush, green, and full of life. Birds twittered cheerfully in the trees. Monkeys chittered and chattered while swinging from branch to branch, their tails occasionally falling within touching distance but shrinking away almost instantly. Snakes slithered across fallen tree trunks covered with and made slippery by a thick layer of moss, their bodies contracting and stretching as they worked their way across the forest floor, only partly visible due to their beautifully constructed camouflage. Rabbits and other small creatures scuttled and scurried across her sight, there one moment and gone the next, sometimes even making her wonder whether she had hallucinated the animals. Large predators like cheetahs and tigers crouched in the bushes, eyes narrowed, tails swishing, and tongues lolling out, at times licking their lips, evidently ready for bloodshed and a hearty meal.

The forest and scenery itself was also unbelievably amazing. Redwood trees swooped to the height of skyscrapers, reaching for the sky, the clouds, the sun, their leaves gently rustling in the light breeze, as if orchestrating a masterpiece of music, throwing their speckled shadows over the smaller plants beneath. Small rivers and streams snaked their way across the green forest floor, the wonderfully grown grass still glimmering with early morning dew, giving the entire forest a look of being adorn with thousands of small, transparent pearls. Not bothering to suppress her rising adoration for this island, Robin let out a sigh of pure wonder as her genius brain regarded all the wonders and mysteries around her.

As her eyes roamed over the landscape, they landed on a small patch of moss, whose coloring greatly resembled that of… Her thoughts were snatched from their placement of happiness and marvel and snapped back to the one still aboard the Sunny. As she got more and more distracted, Robin ceased to see, hear, or feel what's happening around her as her mind had some sort of a blank out. All she could see at the moment was what Zoro had shown her, all she could feel was the complete and absolute horror and dread and hopelessness she had been subjected to when he told, no, showed her the truth. She saw it clearly now, she saw-

"Ah, Robin-San?" A certain skeleton's sudden words jolted Robin out of her reverie and back into the real world, and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp of surprise, to which the skeleton hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry for startling you, Robin-San! Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Robin assured the slightly panicky skeleton with a casual smile and a few words. "What is it, has there been any findings of interest?" She queried, though his answer both surprised and embarrassed her a bit.

"Ah, no. It was just that Robin-San was staring at that bush for quite a while." To clarify, Brook stuck out his skeletal hand and pointed at the light green patch of grass that had reminded Robin of a certain swordsman. Feeling a flush creeping up her neck, Robin scrambled to find the words to form an answer.

"I, well… I was… it was nothing." She finally settled for dismissing the topic, hoping the skeleton would drop it. He didn't.

"Robin-San, you've been spending a lot of time with Zoro-San lately. Is there a reason?" Brook's head hung to the side, his empty eye sockets seemingly penetrating Robin's own and staring right into her soul. She had to admit, what he was saying was true, Robin did feel something, she did harbor something special for the seemingly unfeeling swordsman.

"Possibly." Maintaining her composure, Robin flashed Brook another charming smile before turning and trotting away to join Nami a few paces away, leaving the tall skeleton to follow. Next to the navigator, Robin recalled the conversation that they had had a few days ago, and now she knew the answer.

She did.

So what if she, Nico Robin, has fallen in love with Roronoa Zoro? It was about time that she recognized this feeling. Or perhaps... she had recognized it a long time ago.

* * *

"Do you love her?"

"Excuse me!" Zoro was so shocked by the sudden inquiry from his mind's voice that he said the words out loud, then realized that there was no one to hear them. Slightly embarrassed, Zoro furrowed his arched eyebrows and sank into thought about the simple question. Did he love her? The initial, instinctive response was 'no! Of course not! Are you out of your mind?!' The small voice was silent.

"I can't, you know I can't." He mumbled, no longer paying attention to how insane he sounds, muttering to himself like this.

"You can, you know you can." Came the confident reply. Zoro looked and glared at… something, whatever thing, and finally settled on a stray strand of his hair. As if on cue, a small breeze blew by and the small strand shivered under Zoro's gaze. Sighing, he started to shake his head, but as the small creature in his mind gave him a raised eyebrow, some faint glimmer of resignation found a home in his eye.

Ok, so maybe.

Just a little.

* * *

 _I'm back I'm alive and oh my god the fluff is reeeaaaallllllllllllllllllllllll._

 _Um yah I'm probably one of the only writers out there that fangirls at their own fanfiction :P. Also I literally searched up how to stop a ship in order to write that crash scene, so please give me love xD (ahem aka reviews)._

 _Anyway, since he literally_ refuses _to tell you guys who he is (_ now, now, what's the fun in that? _), I suppose I'll have to goes with the hint that he gave -_-_

 _So go ahead! Gueeeeeeesssssss!_

 _Also leave a review on what you thought about the fluff and the progression of their relationship, thanks bye!_


	19. Mystery Ants

_Helloooooooooooo there! Sorry I didn't update during the weekend, I was absolutely positively_ packed _! For one I took the PSAT and then had a meeting, and then I volunteered for five hours straight then went to band then had a music lesson and yah. Also there was the entire weekend's homework that I had to do in FIVE HOURS -_-. Anyway, now that I've ranted about that, here's the storrryyyyy!_

 _Also my good readers, be prepared cuz things are gonna be REVEEAAALED in the next two chapters (not this one tho)!_

* * *

 _ **Mystery Ants**_

The eyes bothered him. The pressure was gone, but the presence remained. No matter how comfortable he made himself, he just can't seem to fall asleep. Something worried him about this island, and the unease mounted until he was sure that if he didn't do anything, he would go mad. Emitting a sound that was half snarl and half growl, the swordsman opened his eyes, gathered his katanas, and leapt into the wilderness before him, leaving the Sunny swaying gently on the waves.

* * *

"We're Face Planters!" The little thing in front of Luffy told him in its screechy squeal of a voice. Well, "thing" is the best word Luffy could find for it, it was an… unique, individual, to say the least. It was at most a fourth of his height, with abnormally long limbs and two huge midsections, with the tiniest little waist connecting the two balloon-like spheres, giving him a very squashed appearance. It also had two strands of hair sticking up while everything else lay flat and surrendered upon his very stretched-looking head. Speaking of its head and face, it has to take the cake for the most curious thing on this already weird creature. The head was very short in height, being at most ten centimeters and half of the average of a regular human. However, it seems to make up for its extreme squashed-ness by being extra long, almost resembling Luffy's own face when both cheeks are stretched out, but this guy seems to have it naturally, the width not falling short of the length of his long, spindly limbs. With this strange, weird, and all other synonyms of a strange and weird body, this thing almost resembled an oversized ant.

"Face Planter?" Luffy wondered. "That's a funny name." He was squatting in the middle of a forest in the middle of a bush, facing this little thing talking to him. Sanji was… somewhere, the rubber boy had left him behind at a cross section when chasing after a monkey, and once he lost his balance on the branches and ended up in a heap on the ground, he had found this little thing flattened underneath him.

"Ah! Let me show you!" The little thing squealed, and began pacing, its way of walking instantly sparking Luffy's interest. It lifted one leg high into the air, the knee reaching its chin, and started to fall forward, catching itself at the very, very last second with a giant step. He then repeats this and continues on his way, the speed not losing to that of normal walking.

"Aaaahhhhh! Awesome!" Luffy's eyes gained their trademark sparkle as he examined the little thing's way of walking. "But... how is that related to Face Planters." The little thing stopped walking and faced Luffy with a sigh.

"You're one of the denser ones, aren't you?" It squealed, and Luffy laughed out loud at the thing's attempt to act all cool and high and mighty, its voice robbing it of all chance of being either. "It's not funny!" The thing squealed again, anger reddening its wide face, and only resulted in more outrageous laughter from its audience.

"Ahahahahahaha! Your- your voice-" Luffy managed to squeeze out between laughs, still rolling on the ground holding his stomach. "It's, it's… hahahahaha!"

The thing's face reddened and reddened until it looked like an overripe tomato about to explode, which it eventually did, figuratively. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" It screamed, its limbs spinning and flailing in the air as it let out a truly horrendous screeching sound, stopping Luffy's laughter in its tracks. "YOU SHALL PAY!" It spat at Luffy after shaking the forest with that loud call, taking on a much more horrifying appearance than its ant-like one before.

The thing now sported bloodshot eyes that had widened to take up most of its face, its mouth filled with razor-like teeth, looking almost as sharp as, if not sharper, than those of Hody Jones and Saw Nose Arlong. Luffy inwardly flinched as he recalled the damage that he received from both sets previously and stared as the little thing before him transformed into a monster.

* * *

Nami had wandered off somewhere following a strange weather phenomenon that she had claimed to have seen, and though Robin's eyes caught no such thing, she watched with Brook as the navigator disappeared into a grove of redwoods. Turning back to her own train of thought, Robin continued to assess the strange rock that she had stumbled upon in a patch of long grass. The stone had something forcefully carved into its surface, something very, very ancient. So ancient, in fact, that even Robin had trouble deciphering it, and when she finally managed to make out what it said, some parts still remained missing. From what she had been able to read, the message said:

 _An … current in the … lead_

… _history on an iron clad steed_

 _The void in the … holds terrors …_

 _For no … and no … shall the … unfold_

As usual, it was the word "void" that snagged her attention. _Void_. Could it possibly mean the Void Century? If it did, what information does it really hold in its grasp about the truth that so many scholars and archeologists from Ohara had tried to dig up? At the thought of her destroyed homeland, Robin felt a small pang in her heart, some scars just never heal. As she shook off the discouraging feeling, a sound higher than a screech but lower than a scream erupted in the forest, shaking the trees and almost splitting her ear drums. Instinctively shoving the heels of her hand against her ears, Robin quickly sprouted eyes scattered among the trees, looking for the source. Before she could pinpoint the thing which made the noise, something huge snapped behind her. Spinning around, Robin came face to face with a falling tree trunk.

Her body moving based on a creature's pure instinctual desire to stay alive, Robin took a dive to the side, slamming into the grass and skittering painfully across the forest floor and into a bush, and lucky her, it was a thorned one. Crying out as needle-like spikes stabbed into her back and her previous wound ripped itself open, Robin was rendered completely immobile as she lay there, thorns still wedging themselves into her skin.

* * *

Ok… he could have sworn he had been here before… but that's impossible, he couldn't have walked straight and got back to where he started, can he? No, obviously not. Then why the heck is the Sunny here? Did someone move it? Was there an enemy onboard?! Hopping back aboard the ship, Zoro gave the Sunny a thorough scan, and when he found no one onboard, confusion further clouded his mind. So if no one moved the Sunny, did it move itself? Does this have a spirit within it like the Merry did? Well… he'll just worry about it later, right now, the feeling of unease hasn't dwindled at all since he first left.

Leaping off the Sunny once more, the swordsman took one step into the forest before he heard the distinct snapping and splintering of wood. His unease climaxed, and gathering strength in his legs, he pushed off and soared into the forest towards the source, leaving a small crater in his wake.

As he ran, the forest blurring into patches of green around him, Zoro felt strangely warm, but he dismissed as the sun's power penetrating the layers of thick leaves above and turning the air around him to a stove.

* * *

Forcing her eyes open, Robin was greeted with a even more horrifying sight in the form of a monstrous figure looming high above her at at least half the height of the redwoods. The figure, from what little she could see from her position on the ground, looked like a giant ant. "What… what are you?" She murmured, her eyes glued to this monster as she tried to coax her body into moving out of its way. When her legs finally twitched, Robin stumbled into a standing position, blood leaking through her bandages and falling onto the dirt underfoot. When she looked up again, a shadow had blotted out the trees and the sky, and the next thing she knew, a gigantic, though very thin, foot was descending upon her.

"Robin-San!" Brook, she had almost forgotten he's there. Was he alright? Did the tree sent him tumbling too? Well, whatever the case was, it seemed like this isn't really time to worry about others.

'Move! Move! Move!' She demanded, and she had time to take one step before the foot hovered only about a meter above her head. 'I'm not going to make it.' Once again, her defiance and desire for life returned, and she gritted her teeth, preparing herself to run, to jump, to do whatever she needs to do to get out of range. 'I want to live!'

The shadow came closer, closer, and closer still with every passing moment, and Robin felt the pressure of it stealing the air from her lungs and sucking at her strength, the wounds really not helping much in this situation. Though her most optimistic calculations led to her end, Robin continued to struggle, to move, she wanted to live! The shadow approached at a rapid pace, the compressed air suffocating her. Stars danced in front of her eyes as the incoming darkness drew closer, and closer, and closer. Suddenly, something hard yet surprisingly gentle enveloped her, and she was spun away from the shadow at an alarming speed. This feeling… she knew this feeling… She didn't have time to think about it, for the force of the spin sent the world toppling upside down, and she only caught glimpses of a tall, muscular figure clad in green and the glint of a katana. The next thing she knew, the monster was sent staggering backwards, each step bringing about a mini earthquake. A long, diagonal wound was now carved into its flesh from shoulder to hip, oozing blood a bluish purplish color, almost resembling that of a newly gained bruise.

"Don't touch her."

* * *

Sanji picked his way through the underbrush, growling under his breath as he searched for his runaway captain. He was leaping over a bush when the forest rumbled, affecting his balance even in midair. Due to the sudden shock and the lack of altitude for twisting, Sanji landed face first onto the ground and got a mouthful of dirt. It didn't taste very well.

Getting back on his feet with a string of curses, Sanji dusted himself off and spent a good five minutes spitting out parts of the ground. When he was finally satisfied with the level of clean his mouth was, Sanji gave the ground a death glare before walking away to continue his search, simply pretending that nothing has happened. At least no one saw that, especially that shitty marimo, if he did, wherever would Sanji place his dignity?

* * *

Zoro faced the now battered and bleeding monster, with the bloodstained Kitetsu in hand, blood dripping from the blade and hilt alike. Getting Robin out of harm's way in time had meant cutting his hands open on the spikes that protruded from her back, which did nothing except add to his fury, more so at himself than the monster.

'Greatest Swordsman in the World, huh.' The manifestation of his rage mocked. 'And you can't even protect the woman you're fond of.' The demon inside was growing with every word, and Zoro's eye gained the killing intent that it has always harbored within.

As fast as lightning, he struck.

The creature screeched as Zoro neared it, and its hand came at the swordsman in a punch, which, despite being in midair, he effortlessly dodged and continued his assault. The thing's eyes widened, the veins presenting themselves in a bloodshot manner. These eyes were boring into Zoro, and the weight of the gaze made even the "Pirate Hunter" uneasy. Never stopping his attack, Zoro's mind raced a hundred miles an hour.

 _He distinctly felt the weight of roughly ninety pairs of eyes on him, all but one unfamiliar and harboring a certain sense of hostility._

'These are it. These eyes are the same ones I felt earlier.' Except last time, the pressure was immensely intensified due to the sheer amount of them. 'These are it.'

The monster released another groundbreaking roar as the cursed blade connected once more with his body, this time the space smack in between his wide but much too squished eyes and slicing downward all the way to his chin, giving his face the impression of being split in half. Bruise colored blood sprayed everywhere, and Zoro saw Robin scramble to avoid a boulder sized drop, the place where she was seconds before now nothing more than a steaming mess. Wherever the disgusting substance landed, smoke curled up, and sizzling sounds filled the clearing and forest as acid did its work on the unfortunate life forms.

Zoro leapt up as the substance threatened to dissolve him as well, and combined with the momentum of the monster's fall, he flew at least 10 meters into the air. A few stray drops of the blood grazed his clothes, and he smelled the stomach turning odor as the cloth melted away. Giving his surroundings a quick scan, Zoro reached out with his right arm and grabbed at a protruding branch around 60 meters above the ground, curling his fingers around it and subjecting it to a death grip, the Kitetsu hanging limply in his left. Gravity dragged him down, and the branch lurched under his weight, but miraculously held. Bouncing along with the wood, Zoro watched as the monster toppled, hitting the forest floor and creating a small scaled earthquake, slightly loosening his grip. Watching his enemy fall in utter defeat, Zoro only had the time to give a satisfied smirk before the pain hit, and his fingers released the only thing keeping him from plummeting to the forest floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luffy was faced with a monster similar to the one that assaulted Robin and Brook, though his reaction, being Luffy, was drastically different from what a normal person would do.

"COOL!" The captain of the Strawhats yelled up at the monster, having witnessed its entire transformation from a friendly little… what were they called? Plant Faces? Well, from the friendly little thing to this bigger friendly thing. "Mystery ant! Join my-"

The thing attacked, and Luffy changed his mind about how friendly the thing was. "But you're so cool!" The rubber boy whined as he dodged a punch, the force of the hit leaving a crater in the earth. "Join my-"

This time, Luffy was stopped by his cook, who had finally found him after some half an hour. "AHO! STOP ASKING EVERY CREATURE YOU COME ACROSS TO JOIN OUR CREW!" A few more seconds, and Luffy had a huge patch of bruised skin welling up on his head.

"Sorry." Luffy mumbled, massaging the bump. "But he's so cool!" A second bump came along to accompany the first. "Fine…"

The monster struck again, a giant, ant-like foot descending on the duo, who effortlessly leapt out of the way, both landing and preparing to attack, though both looking a bit too casual for the situation.

A spark in the rubber boy's eye was the only warning before the onslaught.

A click and a small spark signaled the lighting of a cigarette.

* * *

A punch and a kick hit the monster at the same time, sending the thing stumbling through the woods. Trees toppled in its wake, and the sound of splintering wood filled the air. Once upon a time, perhaps they would have had more trouble, but they've grown much, much stronger since then.

"Shishishishishi."

* * *

 _Ah cliffhangers, aren't they great?_

 _Before you wonder, yes, I did feel very, very evil, but you know what, maybe he's rubbed off on me (Excuse me Flower, you were like this before we met)._

 _Well, anyway (don't ignore me!), if you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and send me love - though I don't see why you would considering what I'm doing to the poor marimo - but do it anyway, love you bye!_

* * *

Flower! I still haven't gotten you back for-

 _ShUSh dOn'T sPOiL It_


	20. Roronoa

_REVEALS IN THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT AHHHHHHH EXCITED. To everyone who wanted to know what was happening to Zoro, get ready to find out! All I can say without spoiling anything is: oh that poor thing I feel_ so _evil (- most repeated phrase while writing story)_

* * *

 ** _Roronoa_**

Fear clouded Robin's mind, shrouded her common sense. She registered one thing, and one thing only. Zoro, falling from a height which would surely kill him if he hit the ground. Zoro, falling because he was protecting her. Zoro, falling with his already broken body. At that moment, everything else glazed over, it was as if a fog had settled over the redwood forest, leaving nothing but Zoro, Zoro, Zoro.

Before she knew it, she was on her feet, her entire being and soul reaching out to the man she loved. "Cien Fleur: Spider Net!" Detached hands sprung out of trees, bushes, the ground, even the fallen monster. Wherever there were places even remotely capable of withstanding weight, hands sprouted and reached for each other, overlapping and intertwining, leaving in their wake some sort of giant spider net, situated directly under the falling swordsman with one common motive: to save him.

As the limp form came into contact with her hands, Robin felt considerable strain on her real arms as Zoro's entire weight was placed on her extra ones. Biting back a cry, Robin held fast as the disembodied hands bounced and swayed from the impact, the small breeze winding through the woods only fueling the swing. Gathering all her remaining power, Robin gave those hands a forceful command to stop moving, and after a few minutes of struggling, they finally did, bending to her will and setting the swordsman gently onto the ground, after which they immediately dissipated into a cloud of Sakura petals.

Robin didn't have time to catch her breath before she pushed herself to move, to get to his side, to see how he is doing. Her feet moved agonizingly slow as they carried her towards the swordsman, they felt like lead, and each step equated to slushing through a swamp. After what felt like eternity, Robin finally succeeded in her desperate journey across the forest floor, and upon dropping to her knees next to Zoro, she had to cover her mouth to suppress a rising sob. Pain laced his features, twisting his face into a deep frown and leaving his chest rising and falling in completely erratic ways. Blood stained the corners of his lips where it had welled up, and small trickles ran down his chin, some defiant drops leaking onto the ground and turning the tea green grass a startling shade of red.

"Zoro?" She reaches out quaking hands to lay upon his face, turning his head as gently as she could to face her, his skin scorching hot under her own. "Zoro." Her voice took on a slightly desperate tone as the swordsman gave no indication of even registering her words. "Zoro!" Her other hand reached out to his chest, seemingly clean and unharmed, where a strangely sticky feeling greeted her, a feeling that she has become much too familiar with.

Blood.

"You exert yourself too much." Robin scolded, tears circling in her sky blue eyes, threatening to pour. "They opened again, didn't they?" She carefully lifted his head, his body still spasming with every labored breath. "And you can't even ask anyone to treat them." She slid her leg under him, gently placing his head upon her lap, elevating it, maybe it'll help ease the pain. "Not that anyone can, we don't even know where the injuries are…" He was burning up, how is his body going to take all this strain and counter all the damage simultaneously?

The tears finally came.

* * *

" _Roronoa. Roronoa. Roronoa."_

* * *

The pain was blinding. Lightning bolts tore their way through his body, lava boiled in his blood, and untreated wounds ripped themselves open, infections subjecting him to agony beyond comprehension. Every breath felt like a chainsaw in his throat, and air became difficult to take in. He felt like he was breathing in oxygen that had chunked together. It was air, but it came nowhere near to satisfying his needs.

He was faintly aware of something stopping his 60-meter fall to the unforgiving ground below, that same something easing him down onto something solid, and he struggled to hold onto the sliver of consciousness that hadn't abandoned him yet. This reminded him of the blood curdling fire that had entered his body when he had taken all of Luffy's pain and damage, that had threatened to tear his very soul in two, but this… This threatened to shred it.

The first wave of pain began to subside, and he just barely heard the shadows of tearstained words. He couldn't make out what it was saying, but he knew the voice.

Robin.

He wanted to respond, wanted to open his eye, to tell her that everything is going to be ok. To assure her. To stop her worrying. When had he started caring so much? Maybe…

A fresh wave crashed ashore, and Zoro's back arched as he fought to keep down a scream. He felt something soft underneath his head, something that elevated it, it radiated a certain sense of comfort, and he felt surprisingly calm despite the storm raging inside him. Something equally soft and gentle, and amazingly cool landed on his forehead, countering the blistering heat that resided within.

* * *

" _Roronoa. Roronoa. Roronoa."_

* * *

The pitifully small pieces of calm that Robin had gathered shattered into a thousand tiny shards when Zoro's back curved off the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream. Frantic, she placed a hand on his forehead, almost recoiling from the heat that washed off his body in waves, and for the first time in her life, she prayed. She prayed to whatever god she knew of, to those in different cultures, those with different purposes, but every god or spirit or deity she would talk to, she would ask them one thing, and one thing only: keep him safe.

This wasn't like her. Her? Praying? This doesn't feel normal, but for some strange reason, it felt right. Maybe humans just have that instinct to try and believe in something when they sink into a certain state of despair.

Once Zoro seemed to have gotten over the worst of it, his breathing evening out ever so slightly, Robin took a risk. Slowly, so slowly, she sprouted several hands in the areas around them and gently eased Zoro into a sitting position. She draped his right arm over her shoulders, and didn't get the chance to stand before his body seemed to flash red, and she staggered, the stuff of nightmares thrusting themselves into her vision. She saw it again, saw the blood, the horrors, felt the despair, the helplessness, the guilt, and the bitter sweet love.

" _Alright, I'll tell you. No. Rather, I'll show you."_

 _Moments of silence passed before he took a deep breath, slipped off his robe, leaving his upper body bare, and said, "do it." To whom he was directing his words, she wasn't sure, but the question soon flew out of her mind when the mysterious who did what Zoro asked._

 _The swordsman had simply turned red. She couldn't find any other words for it, he just… turned red. Or rather, the blood dyed him red._

 _The substance flowed freely down his muscled body, the inexperienced stitches doing absolutely nothing to ease it. There were gashed on his forehead, arms, torso, everywhere, even his usually bright green hair was toned down and dulled by layers of crusted blood. There was a particularly eye-catching one curving down his body from shoulder to hip, almost like it was purposefully tracing the long, thin scar that he had received from Dracule Mihawk. Another was a straight up stab into his broad chest just inches away from his heart, where she could see an infection setting in. One more made its way from his temple all the way down to his collarbone, tearing open the delicate skin on his neck but just shallow enough so that he would survive._

 _What he had been exposed to had been pure torture. Wounds with the intent to maim and to cause unbearable agony, but not to kill. Who had done this, Robin had an idea, but with injuries like this… how had the crew not seen it? How had the crew not seen the blood, the stitches, the infections. How had they not noticed the endless suffering that the first mate had been going through? And most importantly, why hadn't he asked for treatment?_

 _Questions swam around in Robin's head, but she couldn't focus on them, not with Zoro standing so calmly in front of her, covered from head to toe in his own blood. Tears, too shocked to flow, did not come. She sat there, her eyes staring into his, only hoping he would understand the request. He apparently did. "Stop."_

 _As soon as the word was uttered, the red started to fade, replaced by the tanned tone of his skin and the once again bright green of his hair. It didn't take five minutes before the Zoro that the crew had been seeing was presented before her once again, his singular eye locked with hers, the warning flashing in those green depths._

"I'm warning you, as soon as you hear what I'm about to tell you, he will come for you. Are you ready to risk your life in exchange for the truth?"

 _Someone is going to come after her for seeing what she had, but at the moment, she couldn't care less about her own safety, she just needed to know what had happened to him._

" _One more thing, if the time ever comes, you cannot allow treatment to these injuries."_

" _But-"_

" _No matter what."_

* * *

" _ **Roronoa. Roronoa. Roronoa."**_

* * *

Ever so faintly, in the distant reality in the redwood forest, something landed on her eardrums, something that set her hair on end. It sounded like… It sounded like… "Roronoa."

Robin's eyes snapped open, her mind whipped back from her nightmarish trance to the present, Zoro still hanging on her shoulders, and all the weight suddenly became real at the same time.

Biting her lip, she fought to keep upright, Zoro. Was. Heavy. He may have grown considerably thinner due to his injuries, but the guy is still a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle. How was she going to get him back to the Sunny? Especially with no one noticing.

Taking a deep breath, Robin took all but one step when the weight noticeably lessened. Turning, she beheld the sight of Brook, whom she had forgotten in her state of panic, Zoro's other arm draped around his skeletal shoulders. She gave him a pleading look to not ask or poke into the matter, and when he didn't, Robin simply gave him a smile of gratitude, which he returned. He may be a skeleton, but his smiles were surprisingly calming and warm. Due to his height, Brook had to bend quite far down to match Robin's, and she was sure that it put considerable strain on a body, even if it's only bones. Giving him another genuine "thank you" with her eyes, Robin turned back to Zoro, and was greeted with another surprise.

He wasn't hanging limply between the two anymore, he was standing, he was walking. Directly in her line of sight was the striking green that only Zoro's eye could pull off. It was darker than the green of his hair but slightly lighter than that of his robe. It was a strange shade, not too bright, but not lacking light either, it contained a fire, a defiant fire that would burn down all in its way.

She loved those eyes.

"Zoro…"

He gave her a tired smile, the flames in his eye present but dull, dimmer than she has ever seen them. It made her afraid. On Zoro's other side, Brook's eyeless sockets observed, and every time Zoro or her made a stumble in their step, the skeleton would catch their fall, it was thanks to him that neither has done a face plant yet.

Out of the blue, Zoro's head suddenly whipped around, his arms sliding out of the grasp of his two nakama, his good eye fixated on a specific point in the dense forest. His breathing had begun to go wild again, the sudden movement obviously pressuring his wounds further. "Zoro…" She was silenced by a raised hand on his part, and she watched with Brook, ready to attack and defend at any given moment. His eye narrowed, and the dying embers rekindled into a roaring fire.

* * *

It hurt, even he has to admit that. The simple actions of removing his arms from the grips of his crewmates and turning around hurt, but he didn't have time to think about that.

He heard it, he heard his name. The Color of Perception was going crazy, practically screaming into his ear, the tingling sensation governing his body as something small but extremely vast in quantity approached from an area between two of the tallest redwoods. This presence… it was the same as the eyes, same as the monster, and they were chanting his name. Who, or rather, what, are these creatures? What business do they have with him? Are they working under a higher authority? They had to be, from what he could gather from fighting that monster, they are not very bright life forms, and he has never encountered a single one of them before, much less offended or displeased them, the only possible reason for their assault is that someone else is pulling the strings.

The chanting grew louder, louder, louder as the weight of the presence increased, eyes in units of thousands stared at him, and he started to make out the sea of swarming, squirming darkness as something scuttled towards the three Strawhats at an alarming rate.

" _ **Ro-ro-no-a! Ro-ro-no-a! Ro-ro-no-a!"**_

* * *

 _Yee im sorry but hey at least now you know what robin saw that made her so afraid haha um more revealed in next chapter please leave a review and don't kill me bye._


	21. Truths

_Ok everyone, things are gonna happen and things are gonna be revealed so everyone GET READY TO FREAK OUT YEE._

 _(also early upload this week cuz i have time now and wont later so enjoy this early dose of you know... um... well youll find out :P)_

* * *

 _ **Truths**_

Brook couldn't believe his eyes (not that he had any, yohohohoho), this giant mass of something was coming towards them, and it set his hair on end. They gave off a very hostile and foreboding presence, and he felt shaken down to the bone (though that's all he is, so he supposed that was a given, yohoho). Anyway, skull jokes aside, the most important question was why they were chanting Zoro-san's name. And speaking of Zoro-San, what in the world has befallen him? He remembered the last time something this bad happened, he had witnessed it, witnessed the bravery and self-sacrifice that the swordsman had exhibited on the island of zombies. He saw Kuma extract Luffy's pain, saw Zoro plunge into it, and the aftermath… he liked to not think about that.

This time… what could have possibly caused the swordsman so much pain? After two years, he knew that Zoro-San had gotten much, much stronger than before, who could have… The first one to come to mind is Dracule Mihawk, but he had trained Zoro-san, even someone that cold wouldn't hurt his pupil. This was unthinkable, and curiosity was about to make him explode, but the look Robin-San gave him earlier asked that he not prod into the matter, so he won't, and he won't tell anyone either.

Bringing his mind back to the crisis at hand, Brook turned back to the tidal wave of somethings crashing towards them. He could just make out the silhouettes of the individuals that make up the mob, they greatly resembled the monster that Zoro-San had cut down earlier, except much, much smaller. They also walked in a very strange fashion, almost looking like they're going to do a face plant before taking a gigantic step at the last moment.

" _ **Ro-ro-no-a! Ro-ro-no-a! Ro-ro-no-a!"**_

Brook couldn't help the shudder that raced through his body, the continuous chanting was making him nervous, and he can't imagine what it must be like for Zoro-San, who seemed to be the target for these strange, strange beings.

* * *

Zoro's three swords were out, the sheaths hanging limply at his side. His eye was fixed on the incoming creatures, ready to send them all flying if they showcase any sign of aggression. A glance behind him told him that Robin and Brook are ready to do the same. Robin had her hands crossed, and Brook had his _shikomizue_ drawn and ready for combat. As Zoro's eye trailed back to the enemy, he caught sight of Robin's now shredded bandages, small streams of blood making their way over her slender waist, down her legs, and onto the grass underfoot.

A strange feeling came over him, he wanted to get her far away from here, to have Chopper look at her injuries, to keep her safe and not let her fight before that thing is completely healed.

" _ **RO-RO-NO-A! RO-RO-NO-A! RO-RO-NO-A!"**_

The chanting brought him back, and when he faced the mob, they were right in front of him, rows upon rows of mini versions of that monster, all glaring up at him with hateful eyes. Silence fell all too suddenly when a slightly taller one at the front slammed a twig on the ground, though Zoro supposed that it was designed to serve the purpose of a staff.

Spinning his blade around, Zoro left the point inches away from the leader's head, all he had to do was drop his arm, and the katana would slice clean through the thing. "What do you want?"

"Are you Roronoa?" The creature questioned in return, completely disregarding Zoro's inquiry. It didn't seem to notice the giant, sharp thing that can kill it situated above its head, or if it did, it didn't seem to care.

"So what if I am?"

As soon as the confirmation escaped his lips, the creatures stampeded towards him, the closer ones clinging onto his legs and starting to clamber up to his torso and then shoulders. Though slightly caught off guard by their curious ways of assault, Zoro didn't hesitate a moment before raising his katanas. He could hear Robin's and Brook's furious attacks raining down on the unfortunate creatures, and patches of them dropped dead with every passing moment. In just seconds, the two had taken out around half of them.

Now it's his turn.

Creatures have pretty much covered him, and he assumed they were attempting to make him lose his footing so that they may commence whatever else they do. Yah, like it's going to be that easy.

"Rengoku…"

His katanas were raised, the air rippling with the raw power pouring from the blades.

"Oni Giri!"

The shockwave threw all the creatures off him and tossed them into the air, their shapes limp as they took the blunt of the attack. The ones who were further away were then caught in the aftershock of the attack and also felled by the singular slice. An annoyed expression played on Zoro's features, and his eye gleamed with the savagery of an animal. "You're pitiful."

* * *

"Don't move." Zoro commanded as he plucked a thorn out of Robin's back, uncharacteristically gentle despite his usual personality. With every spike, he would urge it out slowly, taking extreme care to cause her as little pain as possible, his own hands were battered and bleeding, the blood staining the thorns that were already slippery with Robin's. He didn't seem to mind very much.

Robin didn't move, letting the spikes slide out of her body and distracting herself with the feeling of Zoro's rough and calloused hands on her back. They felt surprisingly calming, on the opposite end of the scale as the swordsman himself. At the thought, she let out a small giggle, since when had she fallen for someone so distant and cold?

"Stop moving!" Zoro demanded again, annoyance creeping into his voice, the giggle having shaken her shoulders and interrupted his process. A hand landed on her head, pressing down as if trying to keep her from doing any more moving. Oh Zoro, did he really think this was going to stop her? Well, she'll let him have it this time. A smile quirked her lips, but Robin did what Zoro asked and did no more moving.

* * *

The three walked back to the Sunny in silence, Zoro somehow recovered from his persistent injuries and striding in front of the other two. Observing from behind, Robin silently shook her head. 'He's hopeless. The day he learns how to take care of himself is the day Luffy gives up on meat.'

She herself was quite bloodied up, the injury that the Wind Cutter had given her had opened again in all the confusion, and was giving her considerable trouble. The spikes that had embedded themselves in her back, courtesy of that beautiful bush, had drawn quite some blood, and it was making her slightly dizzy. Truly, Robin wondered how many people it has shredded before her.

Brook seemed to have taken the least damage, only a few cracks here and there on his body. He sported a serious expression with some traces of curiosity mingled within. She knows that he is probably wondering about Zoro's condition, but to tell the truth, she didn't know either. That day, he had merely shown her what was happening to him, he never told her why.

Distracted by the desire to know what had been the cause of Zoro's wounds and his refusal of treatment, Robin didn't notice the tree root poking out from the ground until she promptly tripped on it. With a small squeal, Robin almost got a taste of the forest dirt when something caught her around the waist. Immediately afterwards, Robin felt herself being lifted into the air, spun around, and cradled into something strangely comfortable. On her right side was what she discovered to be a hard wall of muscle, and when she put her head on it, she could hear the steady beating of a strong, defiant heart.

A flush slowly crept up her neck, and she placed a slender hand on his chest, attempting to push herself away, trying to convince him to set her down. He either didn't get the message or just didn't want to comply. It turned out to be the latter.

His arms tightened around her, though not enough to hurt, and his breath ruffled her hair as quiet, teasing words sounded in her ear.

"If you want to do this, woman, we do it my way."

There it is, "woman". It's what he had called her when she had first arrived on the ship and joined the Strawhat Pirates. When he had finally started calling her Robin, she had been so glad, she had loved the sound of her name on his lips, loved the way he said it: harsh, dominating, but with the whisper of gentleness that he takes on when addressing a nakama. Well, maybe with the exception of Sanji, but that's a different story. This time… this time, the word "woman" coming from his mouth… He may as well have said "Robin". She loved it. She loved this dominating air that he possesses, one that he sustains with such little effort. Most importantly, this told her the truth, this showed her the truth. The truth that he did indeed love her.

And so she yielded, she did it his way. Laying her head on his sturdy chest, she remembered feeling something that unsettled her, but the gentle swaying of his steps soon carry her off the land of dreams, and she dismissed it as paranoia.

She would only realize later that his chest had still been very, very warm.

* * *

Robin woke to the sound of a scuffle apparently taking place on the deck of the Sunny outside the small room that is the clinic. She had a fair idea about who were involved and what it was about, but it was amusing nevertheless to listen to the marimo and curly brows throwing insults at each other.

"You braindead idiot marimo, how could you let Robin-Chan get hurt?!"

"For your information, Mr. _Nosebleed_ , I didn't even get there until after she was hurt! If you're so mad about her injuries, why don't you protect her yourself?"

"Well, bastard, I was a bit preoccupied with our captain! ("Are?") If you hadn't gotten lost-" Well, of course he did. Why did Robin ever think that he didn't.

"Shut it!"

"Make me!"

Sounds of punches and kicks and sword slashes could then be heard from outside, along with Chopper's panicked pleads for them to keep quiet and Nami's outraged yells for them to shut up and give her some peace. Robin chuckled to herself, allowing a few more moments of peace and quiet before she sat up.

The first thing she noticed was the new layers of bandages that wrapped around her torso, winding their way under her attires like a white snake. Her wounds didn't hurt much anymore, and she only vaguely remember small stings as Chopper's needles wove in and out of her back and abdomen. She also remembered small flashes of green: hair, robe, haramaki… Zoro was here. An unfamiliar warmth shrouded her, and she couldn't help a small giggle. Was this how it felt to be in love?

Standing, Robin eased open the wooden door and made herself comfortable leaning against the door frame watching the fight currently taking place before her, insults still flying in the air.

"Baka marimo!"

"Shitty cook!"

"Little lost swordsies!"

"Perverted bastard!"

Another small chuckle from Robin stopped the two dead in their tracks.

"Robin-Chan!" Sanji had the first reaction. "How are you feeling? Are you ok? Did the marimo do anything to you?" He was rewarded with a withering glare for the last question, which he gladly returned with a scowl of his own.

"Yes, Cook-San, I'm fine." Robin replied, an amused smile still dancing on her lips. "In fact, I feel quite well." As she conversed with the cook, Robin had her eyes locked onto Zoro, who was observing the conversation with a slightly… is that protectiveness she sees in his eye? Well, she found his gaze, and flicked her eyes to the study, hoping he'll get the message, her talk with Sanji never ceasing.

A skeptical look overcame his features, and Zoro quietly slipped away, the slight creak of a door's hinges reaching her ears a moment later. Making an excuse of her own, Robin padded over to the door and pulled it open, shut it behind her, and turned to face the swordsman. "No more secrets, Zoro. The truth. The whole truth."

His expression didn't budge, the unwillingness to let her in on the secret written plainly on his face.

"He's already coming after me," she gestured to the bandages covering her abdomen, and he noticeably winced. "What's the entire truth going to do? I already agreed to risk my life when I first asked, and that hasn't changed. Like I said, there are some burdens one cannot bear alone, and that includes you. So, Kenshi-San, spill it."

His remaining eye narrowed, contemplation whirling in the green depth. Several moments of stillness ensued, and finally, that iron will of his bent.

"Sit."

* * *

He knows that it's probably a bad idea to tell her the rest of the story, about his defeat, about the deal, but she was right, maybe there _are_ some burdens that he just can't handle on his own. And so he told her, he told her everything.

"Sit." She did.

 _The vivre card led Zoro in the direction of the sunset, and he hasn't been drifting for three minutes before the card went wild, straining… downwards. He frowned, downwards? But that's under… water._

" _Shit." Saga was a Devil Fruit user, if this card is correct, then he would be completely immobile and helpless as of this moment and probably had been for who knows how long. "Shit." Tucking the vivre card into his red sash, Zoro dove off the small raft and into the glimmering ocean depths._

 _He swam down, down, down, until a sudden depletion of water and appearance of air had him falling from about 30 meters up. Reflexes from years of training took over, and Zoro nimbly twisted in midair, landing flawlessly on his feet. Giving his surroundings a quick scan, Zoro soon spotted someone whom he had wanted to forget, wanted so hard to forget. Straightening, Zoro faced the demon from his childhood, the incarnation of envy and hatred that had haunted and taunted him throughout his life at the dojo._

" _Hello, Roronoa." Wakazumi Noroi said. "Long time no see."_

* * *

" _Wakazumi." Zoro's eye narrowed, caution and paranoia flaring in his heart, soul, and mind. "Where are they?"_

" _Who? Them?" Noroi stepped aside to reveal two limp figures, both seemingly unconscious and cuffed with sea stone. "Devil Fruit users, they can be such a pain." His voice was made up solely of mockery, and he placed a foot on one of the slumped bodies, a female, mid back length hair, purple dress… Robin! Zoro's protective nature exploded as he saw the archaeologist at the mercy of one who hates him to the moon and back._

" _What are you doing." The swordsman growled, a low rumble in his throat, more feral than anything._

" _They should have the luxury of enjoying a bath, don't you think?" Noroi's lips curled into a smile consisting of nothing but endless cruelty. One kick, and Robin sailed through the air and broke through into the sea water, leaving a trail of bubbles behind as her body struggled to breathe._

" _No! Sto-" Saga soared into the unforgiving depths after Robin._

" _Bastard." Zoro snarled, taking a running start and about to dive after the two when a blade came at the small of his back._

"A scar on the back is a swordsman's humiliation"

 _Shusui broke out of its sheath and clashed with the assaulting blade. Immediately, Zoro felt the demonic essence that the sword sported, one that he was familiar with. "A Kitetsu?"_

 _The two sprang apart, Zoro now wielding both Shusui and the Sandai Kitetsu, the cursed blade shaking slightly with the anticipation of bloodshed and the sudden encounter of its predecessor. Neither of the two touched the floor for a second before they pushed off again, one blade clashing against two. Zoro had his swords crossed, the overlapping situated so that the tip of Noroi's blade ran full force into it, stopping his attack._

" _You've gotten better." The Ittoryuu swordsman mocked. "But not good enough." He sprang again, the cursed blade a blur in the deserted space of the bubble, the air itself seeming to part for the katana. Zoro's blades matched the speed pace for pace, and another clash sent the two sprinting backwards again, Zoro sliding back a few centimeters more. To someone who is untrained in the ways of the sword, it would seem like a draw, but to any master swordsman, it is evident that Zoro has lost._

 _Silence rippled in the air, and the two swordsman circled each other like predators seeking the weakness in their prey. Zoro had felt something familiar about the fighting style of this long lasting rival, something that went beyond the familiarity of the cursed blade. As his mind whirled with possibilities, the two swordsman clashed three more times, Noroi gaining the upper hand every single time. A few more clashes, and Zoro had blood running down the side of his cheek. Still he did not wield the Wado Ichimonji._

" _Wield it!" Noroi roared, another fierce assault soaring towards Zoro. "Wield her katana!" The sheer force of the attack stole the air from Zoro's lungs, and the parry and counterattack were slightly sluggish. "WIELD IT!" Zoro didn't._

" _You are not good enough." Zoro growled. "I made the promise, I_ will _fulfill her dream and mine." Noroi's features twisted, rage and hatred darkening his eyes._

" _You are the scum that is unworthy of carrying Kuina's hopes and dreams! YOU are the magot that now possesses her katana against her will!" The blade slashed through the air, the movement so fast even Zoro lost sight of the blow. Taking a risk, Zoro dodged to the opposite direction of the last place he had seen the blade. Pain raced through his veins, and the hilt of the infamous Shodai Kitetsu now protruded from his shoulder, the blind dodge having saved him from a cursed blade in the heart._

 _The pain soon turned demonic, the curse doing its work on his body, his blood. Forcefully swallowing a cry, Zoro looked up at the man opposite himself, at the one at the other end of the sword. Noroi had a wild light in his eyes, the thrill of one who had just won the duel that they had wanted to have for so long. However, accompanying that thrill was dissatisfaction. It's the darkness that an assassin gains when they fail to kill a victim. In this case, Zoro knew, he was the victim._

 _There was no turmoil in his forest green eye, and finally, finally, Zoro drew the Wado Ichimonji._

* * *

 _There it is. Noroi's heart was set aflame as he recognized the prized blade of the girl he had adored. The Wado Ichimonji. It's out._

 _He had the Kitetsu buried deep in Roronoa's shoulder, and he planned to keep it there. He will drag it through his body, he will cut him in half. Just thinking about the blood that will spill, the blood of his sworn enemy, it excited Noroi. Filtering strength into his right hand, he prepared to carry out his plan when the Ichimonji came at the space right between his eyes._

 _Reflexes carried him back and away from the incoming blade, but the injuries received from Hawk Eyes slowed him down, and blood soon trickled from a small cut on his forehead. He just lost._

 _Fury boiled in his soul, charring it further, and it was only when he had regained his footing that he realized that Shodai Kitetsu was still stuck in Roronoa's shoulder. Before the Wind Cutter's eyes, the other swordsman firmly grasped the hilt of the cursed blade, and with a sudden burst of strength, wrenched it out of his shoulder, now more red than purple. Not bothering to turn fully towards him, Roronoa threw him a mocking glare before sheathing all three swords, taking a deep breath, and diving into the ocean after the two hostages._

 _Not five minutes have passed._

 _Letting a frustrated growl escape him, Noroi settled down on a rock and waited for Roronoa to resurface. He was a Devil Fruit user, or else he would have went after Roronoa himself. After around two minutes, Robin and Saga burst through the bubble, landing on the dried up land with wet "plop"s. Roronoa came seconds later, soaked to the bone._

" _You lost."_

" _I know."_

" _Torture sure sounds nice, doesn't it?"_

" _Do not mess with my nakama ever again."_

" _Yes, yes. Now, about that torture-"_

" _Swear it."_

" _Fine! I swear, now-"_

" _Not on the back."_

" _Tsk tsk, beggars can't be choosers, Roronoa."_

" _Do not put scars on my back, and I do not allow treatment to anything else you do."_

" _Hmm."_

 _Maybe his Devil Fruit could help…_

 _The Blood Blood Fruit. It allows him to manipulate blood at will. He can make it visible or invisible whenever and wherever he wants. He can track someone's blood. He can even change the temperature of the blood of people whom he had touched before._ But _. But, there is a price. With the change of temperature in the victim's blood, Noroi himself suffers the same consequences. If they burn, his blood boils with them, if they freeze, his own temperatures drop below 0. However, it has nothing to do with the hell that he plans to make this swordsman go through. If this plan works out, he can make Roronoa's blood invisible, and treatment would go out the window._

 _Torture. Yes, it does sound fun._

" _Deal."_

* * *

 _It's not over._

 _This match isn't over yet._

 _He lost this round, but he hasn't lost the duel._

 _The moment Noroi had decided to spare Zoro's life, he lost._

 _Because the next time they meet, Noroi will die, even if Zoro has to give his own life to ensure it._

 _Because Zoro has figured out the familiarity in Noroi's swordplay._

 _Because Noroi's skills are near identical to that of Mihawk's._

* * *

 _Roronoa was a heap on the ground, blood turning the ground around him crimson, his back heaving with every breath._

 _That was fun._

 _Like he promised, Noroi didn't touch his back, but with his torso, well, Noroi took his time. Squatting, he grabbed Roronoa's chin, forcing eye contact between the two. "How does it feel?"_

" _I've been through worse."_

" _Stubborn." Once again, the Kitetsu connected with flesh._

* * *

" _I won't take it just yet." Noroi caressed the Ichimonji's white sheath. It was beautiful, inside it held the soul of the most wonderful girl the world had given life to, and oh, how he longed to take it, to hold it, to carry on her dreams with it. But not now. Roronoa isn't dead yet. Once the time comes, the Ichimonji_ will _switch hands._

 _Right now, Noroi whispered an apology to Kuina up in the heavens, and letter by letter, he burned a message into the gleaming metal: I told Roronoa to come alone, seems like he listened._

 _His Observation Haki showing him all he needed to know, he threw the Ichimonji, aiming it at the stupid cook who intended to interfere._

* * *

 _Swimming back up to the surface while lugging two Devil Fruit users behind him had been agonizing. The salt water magnified the pain tenfold, and by the time he finally made it out of the water, he was within an inch of losing his sanity and consciousness. After throwing the two hostages onto the raft, Zoro climbed on himself, shaking from head to toe and gulping down air like he hasn't felt it in years._

 _A disturbance told him that one of the two have woken up, turning, Zoro saw Saga sit up, coughing sea water onto the boat, his arm now free of sea stone, courtesy of Noroi. Looking up, Zoro's friend locked eyes with him, and then turned in a certain direction, took up the oar, and started rowing, his arm bent at an awkward angle, Zoro didn't have the strength to question it._

* * *

"He left to an island some half an hour away, and by some quirk of fate, we made it back to the Sunny. The rest, you know."

"I'm assuming his Devil Fruit contributed to him finding the Sunny."

"Akainu's blood. When I cut him, the blood landed on the deck, and Noroi tracked it."

"Why not use yours?"

"He likes toying with his prey."

Robin inwardly shuddered, how does one achieve such levels of cruelty and heartlessness?

"There was something else."

"I'm listening."

"The last I saw of him, Noroi was riding on some iron armored horse with a fish tail. Don't know why, it felt important."

 _An … current in the … lead_

… _history on an iron clad steed_

"Yes, yes! Zoro, yes! That was important! Oh thank you!" Robin's mind whirled. _Ironclad steed. Ironclad steed._ "It might have something to do with the void century!" Her eyes glittered with excitement, and Robin was sucked away into her personal thinking space, her mind going a thousand miles an hour and deciphering the possible meaning behind the words she had discovered on the strange rock.

* * *

Zoro watched Robin adopt that far away look, and he knew that whatever he says now, she won't be listening anymore. Smiling quietly to himself, Zoro leaned against the wall and closed his eye, the fever still making him hot as hell, maybe a nap will help.

Sleep wasn't that hard to come by, and Zoro was soon snoring away, his right hand wrapped around the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji.

* * *

 _Enjoy that? I mean, I enjoyed writing it (not sure why I did and I'm pretty sure people think I'm crazy cuz ya know who doesn't like torturing their favorite character am I right -_-). Honestly I don't even get myself._

 _Leave a review look forward to more dark stuff give me love bye._


	22. The Fearsome Alliance

_I want to give a huuuuge thanks to_ **LadyLiberal** _,_ **JMoon** _, and anyone else who posted a review to this story. The kind words really keep me going and I'm_ so _happy that people are enjoying this story :DDD_

 _Also, as for your questions and wishes for a happy ending, I'm gonna leave it to the progression of the story to show you *insert random emoji*_

 _Also I have no idea when this is gonna end, kinda just going with the flow and waiting it out to see when my creativity will die and the time is right._

* * *

 _ **The Fearsome Alliance**_

"Oi, Boss."

"What?"

"When are we going to wipe that guy?"

"Soon. Once we get that sword, do whatever you want to him."

The first man licked his lips. "Perfect."

"And don't forget that prophecy."

* * *

"Robin?" Chopper's voice jolted Robin out of her trance, bringing her back from the far away place that she resides in when she is analyzing or thinking about something.

"Mm?" She was still only half listening. After who knows how long of thinking of Zoro's statement, she just couldn't connect the dots. Too many vital parts were missing on that stone, too much that she couldn't read. However, she had come up with the decision that whatever this piece was, it's hidden somewhere within an ocean current.

 _An … current in the … lead_

 _An … current in the … lead_

If the "steed" the message had been referencing had been referring to a hippocampus, then it would surely make sense for the "current" to be referring to an ocean current. Now if she assumed it is something along the lines of "an ocean current in the … lead", then she could definitely work off of it a lot better. Now if she took the symbols she saw between "the" and "lead", and compared it to other… Her thought process was interrupted once again by the small doctor.

"Why does Zoro have a fever?" Her mind took a 180 degree turn at the query, reining itself in at inhuman speeds. Her eyes trailed along the floor, up the bed, and made their way, uneasy and slightly afraid, to Zoro's face and Chopper's small form. Once they reached their destination, she started breathing again, he looked peaceful enough. Zoro was leaning against the wall, the three katanas set carefully beside him with his hand resting on his precious Wado Ichimonji. But then again, he looked… her breath hitched again, too peaceful.

"Robin, why does he have a fever?" The young reindeer asked again, his small hoof pressed against the swordsman's forehead and a look of concern masking his face. "Not a light one either. What happened?"

"Chopper, I'm fine." Before Robin got the chance to respond, a hand brushed Chopper's hoof aside, and accompanying the rustling of cloth, Zoro stood, his three katanas now strapped securely to his sash. He certainly looked fine, Robin'll give him that, as to how… well, that's out of her league.

"No, you are not!" Chopper retorted. "This is serious! What have you been hiding this time? How do you think this makes the crew feel? We don't even know what happened last time! Why won't you just trust us with your secrets?!" Anger mingled into the blurry words, his voice choking on unshed tears.

Oh god… last time… Robin didn't even want to think about it, she hadn't seen what Cook-San had seen, but she knew what happened and, like all the others, saw the aftermath. She can't even imagine all the torturous agony that he had been exposed to, and now it's happening again.

Zoro's hand came down on Chopper's head and gave it a few rubs. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were softer. He may not look, or act, the part, but he really is someone gentle at heart, maybe he even has a soft spot for cute things. Robin shoved down a rising giggle at the thought.

"Zoro-"

The swordsman didn't say any more before heading out the door, Robin feeling his rough hands brushing her own as he passed, and something warm curled around her like a blanket. She couldn't stop a small, happy smile.

Wait… why was he… apparently Chopper realized it at the same time.

"Zoro! I'm the doctor and I say NO TRAINING!" The reindeer was out the door in a matter of seconds, scurrying after the swordsman to prevent him from doing anything rash in his condition, and though Robin knew the situation was severe, she also knew that they won't be able to stop him. She went to the door, leaned against the doorframe, watched, and giggled.

* * *

" _Roronoa! Roronoa! Roronoa!"_

The voices kept echoing in Robin's head, so ominous, so dark, so mysterious, it almost seemed as if they were being… controlled. Who could be behind something like this? Who would… well, the Wind Cutter, but why? She knew that Noroi has a reason for his utter disdain and hatred of Zoro, but the mosshead had never told her what it was. Not for the first time, she wondered whether Noroi was really pulling the strings. Yes, he is a highly accomplished swordsman. Yes, he has a strategically construct brain that allows him to put together plans worthy of a genius. But, he seems to be a very solitary individual, and she doubt that he would take his time to build up an army of… whatever those little things were. Now, the question was: who?

Noroi, and who?

If she took all the enemies that the Strawhats have come across so far… who would be one to form an army to help that heartless monster? It would have to be someone ambitious, someone who seeks to be the best, someone who seeks to be king.

Of the pirates whom they have come across, many have wanted to become the pirate king, but not many have what it takes to raise such an army. The two people that come to mind are Gecko Moria, who stated that he plans to become the pirate king purely through the hard work of others and without lifting a finger, and Blackbeard, who, from what she had heard, rounded up the most notorious criminals held prisoner in Impel Down and formed a small army of his own. Both of these villains have the potential to assemble that army and send it after Zoro. However, why would either of them help Noroi? Sure, Moria was probably easier to manipulate and convince, and his shadows and zombies would certainly help, but he's a coward, she doubt Noroi would ally with someone like that. Another problem is the zombies themselves. If Moria still had full control over his zombies, then why would assembling the army of those creatures be necessary? Come to think of it, Blackbeard also has some sort of army of his own, why would he… well, his "army" is solely made up of well known, wanted men, so she supposed that it would make more sense for him to assemble another one.

So if her theory is correct, then that would mean they're up against…

"Hey." Robin startled at the now familiar voice that suddenly sounded behind her.

"Zoro! What are you doing here?" She asked, recovering with a small giggle as he joined her, casting his sight over the ocean surface, glinting with a thousand shimmering stars under the night sky. She had stopped calling him Kenshi-San as soon as she figured out her feelings for him, and honestly, she really loved the taste of his name in her mouth. Zoro. Zoro. Zoro. It's a beautiful name: harsh, simple, dominating.

"Couldn't sleep." He still doesn't say much, does he? Robin smiled, well, she's not complaining.

They looked out at the ocean, letting their eyes meander to the horizon and back, finally finding each other. Just like that, they both saw the future that they wanted, that they will fight for.

Matching smiles lit up their faces as the first drops of a drizzle began to fall.

* * *

The small Face Planter squealed in delight as he was roughly lifted off the ground by one of his thin, ant-like limbs. A looming shadow towered in front of it, a large mouth with chapped lips splitting into a murderous grin at the thing at its mercy.

"These creatures, when they see violence as beauty, it's quite easy to deal with them." The scratchy voice commented, the large mouth opened to reveal missing and rotten teeth. "It's in my league."

"Sure it is," a much smoother and younger sounding voice responded flatly, seemingly unimpressed by the larger man's boasting. "Now about that plan, what part do these… things, play?"

"They are the bait."

"How, exactly?"

"Don't underestimate them." The hoarse one crooned, chucking away the Face Planter in his large, hairy fingers. "They can be quite stealthy if needed."

"Get to the point."

"They can take your precious sword for you."

"You really think Roronoa is the kind of person that would lose the Ichimonji easily."

"He's hurt, isn't he? It will make things easier."

"I'll take credit for that, thank you very much."

"Yes, yes, no one's competing with you."

"So, about the Wado Ichimonji."

"Once we get that meito, the swordsman will come after us, and then we crush the Strawhats."

* * *

"I'll go get an umbrella." Robin offered as she felt the raindrops splashing onto her arms and legs and face, but she didn't move, she found herself unable to do so. The small sprinkles of rain was so beautiful, they shimmered in the starlight, and they felt strangely refreshing upon her skin. Why would she want something to block out these playful spirits?

Her mind wandered as she stared into the air, made misty and slightly blurry by the rain. It felt like a fairy tale.

A slight stir beside her brought Robin back to the real world, and she remembered the person next to her. Reality hit her like a wrecking ball, and guilt once again tightened its iron grip on her. How could she be so selfish? If he stays in the rain in his condition, it's only going to worsen it. "We should head in." Robin forced her feet and body to move, to lead him back in, but halted in her tracks when she heard no footsteps following hers. Turning, she beheld the sight of Zoro with his back to her, his form almost slender amidst the wind and rain. The similarities to a fairy tale rushed back into her mind.

"You don't want to go in, do you?" Pause. "We can stay for a bit more." She heard the smile in his words. That beautiful, beautiful smile.

* * *

"Sounds good."

The owner of the scratchy voice let out a boasting laugh at the sort of compliment, the sound echoing persistently in the small space, filling the room. The second man scoffed, putting up his right forefinger and middle finger to rub at his temple. "Don't do that, it's hard on the ears."

"This is an alliance, Wind Cutter, we are equals as far as I'm concerned, so don't go acting all high and mighty." The hoarse one's voice did a 180 at the second man's mockery, now closer to a growl. "Don't forget," the man started emerging from his seat in the shadows. "I am," heavy footsteps drew ever closer, and a head of curly black hair came into light. "The wielder," a massive body, seemingly much too big for his head, followed, sporting a huge, hairy chest, exposed by his open red jacket. "Of two," jewelry hung around his neck, arms, and waist, their light dimmed by the dark aura surrounding the man, his round, slightly bloodshot eyes and large, rotten mouth only adding to his air of shadows and gloom. "Devil Fruits."

* * *

 _Marshall D. Teach_

* * *

 _ **Blackbeard**_

* * *

 _fluff floof fluffy floof floof. More fluff floof fluffy floof floof next chapter. it's an entire chapter of fluff floof flluffy floof floof._

 _as you can tell im tired and dead and i dont even know what's happening in life anymore but here i am posting cuz i love doing it and i dont wanna skip a week so definitely send me love (reviews) so i'll keep doing this T_T_

 _jk id do it anyway._

 _k imma tire have to do homework byebyez._


	23. Happy Birthday

_Last chapter I said that this will be an entire chapter of fluff floof fluffy floof floof, and now I'm fulfilling my promise. Everyone I present to you the chapter of ultimate Zorobin fluff floof fluffy floof floof._

 **Reviews! :3**

Victoria Horn _\- Haven't heard from you in a few chapters, so happy you're still enjoying the story! :D_

JMoon _\- Thanks for your support! As for who's helping Noroi and why, I'll be trying to answer that in upcoming chapters, and I did drop a hint in the last one ;) (also isn't Teach just the biggest drama queen, gotta get the shadows and timing exactly right to match his devil fruit statement xD)_

* * *

 _ **Happy Birthday**_

"We can stay for a bit more."

"Zoro…" Turning, Robin joined him back at the railing of the ship, her hand rising to lay upon his forehead. To her surprise, he didn't object. The skin remained hot under her fingers, and she observed the slightest furrow in his face that showcased his discomfort. Something seized her heart, and her hand slacked, her fingers tracing his cheeks, then his jaws, before falling back to her side. "Then I'll get an umbrella."

A few steps back pulled open the distance between them, reminding them that there are other people and things in the world. He nodded.

She turned and padded into her room.

* * *

He watched her go, the strangest of feelings once again dominating his body. The rain felt cool against his skin, and he welcome any sensation that countered the heat. He saw Robin's reluctance at leaving the rain, so he wanted to let her enjoy it a little more, to… enjoy it with her. He understands his condition. He understands his feelings. He understands his future.

It may not be the one they want.

He can put all of that aside right now, right now, maybe he can allow himself, just in this moment, to do what his heart tells him to do. Turning his eyes back to the vastness that is the ocean before him, Zoro straightened, rested his right arm on his katanas, and waited for Robin's return.

* * *

Robin fumbled around in her closet, she was sure that she had an umbrella in here somewhere. Pushing some hangers aside, Robin finally spotted the umbrella, a delicate thing, just enough for two people standing close together. At the thought, Robin felt heat creeping up her cheeks, and almost went in to look for another one, but a turn of her thoughts warned her that leaving him outside for too long could hurt Zoro more than a bit of close distance can. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped back out onto the deck.

Zoro hasn't moved, and at her reentry, he turned, his startlingly green eye meeting her own teal ones. Step by step, she approached him, the umbrella spreading wider with every passing moment. By the time she reached him, it was open, and all of a sudden, they were under one umbrella, in one world. Nothing disturbed them, and when Zoro took a step to close the distance, she didn't move.

Robin felt gentle pressure on her hand as Zoro slid his around it, then softly swept the umbrella away, his movements still somewhat stiff and unfamiliar. He was trying to be so tender, a completely different person. To be honest, she's not very used to it, not that she's complaining in any shape or form. This was all so out of the blue, two misfits in a world of darkness, cruelty, and undeniable beauty, they stood together, on one ocean, on one ship, on the same floor, the same wood. Neither talked for a very long time.

* * *

The pitter patter of the rain on the smooth surface of the umbrella became a masterpiece of music, an orchestra of their own, presenting to them a simple piece harboring layers upon layers of feelings, it was the most beautiful melody that had ever landed on Robin's ears.

Rain…

It plays a part in so many cultures, so many lives. It saves people, chases away droughts, leaves villages and towns and cities alive behind them. But it can also cause disaster. It can flood fields, cut off food supplies, take lives. She supposed everything and everyone in the world was the same. There are good, there are bad. Not one person is explicitly bad or explicitly good. There are good and bad in everyone. Even Blackbeard harbors good and beauty, even Whitebeard has demons within. Luffy might try to kill them one day, Sanji might turn against the ladies, Chopper might go insane and lose control of his Monster Point, and the man next to her… Robin tilted her head a fraction of an inch, him resting at the edges of her sight. Even Zoro holds the potential to betray, to hurt, to break.

" _I'm only going to break your heart."_

"Zoro?"

"Hm?"

Their voices were soft, almost as if they didn't want to interrupt the beautiful music their ears were blessed with. His voice was deep, roughened by two decades of survival and training and fighting. He didn't meet her eyes, it almost seemed like he was mesmerized by their surroundings, every muscle in his body relaxed. Did she really deserve all this? He was giving her his vulnerability, the equal to exposing to her his bare throat. If she wanted to, she can break his neck and snap his back instantly, this is his way of saying: I trust you.

"Would you like to hear about the rain?" It was a pretty big risk, a leap of faith. Zoro was never one to take interest in education or anything related, why would he listen to her go on and on about rain in different cultures and such? But… she just had a feeling that he would. They were different now, he truly trusted her, she is no longer just a woman from the opposing side, him no longer a swordsman who suspected her very existence. They were… _nakama_.

Maybe… just maybe… more.

Warmth seeped into Robin's side, and she didn't need to look to know that Zoro has shuffled closer, the umbrella now effortlessly sheltering the two of them. "What about it?" The voice sounded next to her ear, the hot air tickling her skin and ruffling her hair. Something soft brushed past her cheek under her eyes, and when Robin looked down, she glimpsed small strands of green. So _this_ is how his hair felt! It's so… soft… She really didn't expect it to be, with his personality and all, but it really was surprisingly pleasing to touch. She smiled, a real, genuine one.

"Everything."

* * *

The umbrella, though delicate in appearance, served as a beautifully sturdy roof above head, the arm that Robin had looped around his was a comforting weight and presence, something to remind him that she's there, that she hasn't disappeared. He wasn't sure when he had started caring so much, when he started fearing that she will leave one day, that he wouldn't be able to protect her, the way he couldn't save another girl.

" _You're weak as usual, Zoro."_

The thick, stone walls that encased his heart wavered, spider net cracks snaking their way throughout the structure he had spent so many years building. How is it that this woman could always find just the right place to nudge in order to bring down those walls? How is it that she does so without saying a thing? Or even intending to… _Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter._ The raindrops was almost like a lullaby, and he found the tension slipping from his body, his heart pumping to the rhythm of the rain and… Robin's voice.

He had to admit, it was quite awkward at first. It was the first time that he's been so close to a girl… a woman… a lady? No no, a female, that's it. He's never been so close to a female before, and well… it's strange… but as they settled down, things started to calm, and he found himself being drawn more and more into this woman beside him.

Ha, Nico Robin. What a mystery…

They came in soft whispers of air, the words, they took over the melody as the rain melted perfectly into the background, as the harmony. He's never been interested in music or the like, but even he found this… beautiful. Robin's breaths landed on his forehead, his ears, his brow, and he felt strangely at home. For just a moment, he forgot about Noroi, forgot about Mihawk, forgot his condition, his wounds, his defeats. For just a moment, he just knew the warmth beside him, maybe just for tonight, he can let his heart out of its cage to find the place where it truly belongs.

After a few warnings for it to come back by dawn, Zoro tentatively unlocked the cage that had imprisoned his soul for so long, and watched as his heart sprang into the air, and flew into a cloudless, blindingly blue sky.

For just tonight, he'll allow himself something he's never even pondered before. For tonight…

He'll be free.

* * *

"... view rain as positive signs. If there is rainfall during opposite ends of life, such as a marriage or a funeral, it is seen as good fortune. For the married couple, it would bless their life after marriage as fertile and beautiful. For mournful families, it is taken to mean that the soul of the deceased has reached the after life safely…"

"... Noah's Arc saved two of each animal from the raging rainfall, a male and a female… showcases the negativity of rainfall in these cultures, for it was their God who summoned it and destroyed all land out of anger. This negativity carries on, though I do believe that we can agree otherwise." Her hand reached out, cupping the raindrops as they fell. "Don't you think so?"

…

"Zoro?"

"Hm…?" The softest of replies brought Robin's sight to the green-haired (very, very soft hair) man, and was greeted with quite a startling scene. Zoro. Roronoa Zoro. Yes, "Pirate Hunter" Zoro. A man worth 120 million belis, has just fallen asleep on her shoulder.

The umbrella was still gripped in his left hand, his right resting on the three katanas, his chest rising and falling rhythmically as sleep gave him the peace he so much deserved. "Nothing," she whispered, though she doubt that he could hear her, a few more mumbles returned her words, and Zoro was soon fast asleep, the weight of his head resting comfortably upon her shoulder. "Yes, go to sleep, you need it." She really loved how he looked when he was asleep, the one word she could find to describe it is always just… peaceful.

His face still had a certain look to it that told her that he cannot escape from the problems in his life even in sleep, but the relaxation that his body sported when he was asleep gave him a very… almost fragile look. Yes, she understands that fragile is the last word someone should use to describe Zoro, of all people, but she can't help it, it just felt, well, right.

Her hand was hesitant as it hovered an inch away from his hair, not sure whether she should do this, but she's always wondered, hasn't she?

 _It may seem strange, but looking at him, his hair had always been a point of interest, and the funny part is, it's not even the question of "why is it green?" Instead, she has always wondered whether it was soft or not._

Well, she has already gotten her answer, it _is_ soft, but she still wanted to. It's been happening a lot lately, this "wanting to", around him. She always had the strangest impulses to do the strangest things, such as letting him carry her, telling him about the rain, and now to touch his infamous moss hair. A gentle breeze ruffled the green strands, and Robin's hand slowly descended, resting on his head, careful to not wake him up. It was almost like touching a cloud, the substance under and between her fingers just the softest thing. Why is it that so many of his traits clash with his personality on opposite ends of the scale? A small smile tugged at Robin's lips, and she closed her eyes, a feeling stirring inside her, some instinct awakening from its century long slumber. She let it guide her, feeling her hand slide down the side of his face, along his muscled jaw, and coming to rest beneath his chin.

She felt a pull in her mind, something invisible, something demanding. If she didn't listen to it, she felt like she would be betraying herself. Robin opened her eyes as her head lowered, as if controlled by some intangible puppet strings. Her shoulder shifted as she raised his head ever so slightly. He didn't move.

As she neared him, something suddenly sprang into her mind, something about a very special day.

* * *

He wasn't sure when he had drifted off, or when he woke up. He just knew that he was very comfortable, and that he didn't want to move.

Zoro felt his head tilting up, felt the something beneath him shifting, felt a presence inches away from his face.

That night, that moment, they stood in one world, under one umbrella.

He didn't move as Robin's lips brushed his own.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Zoro."

* * *

 _Did you enjoy the fluff? I bet you did, I certainly enjoyed writing and proofreading it, oh my god I was fangirling over my own fanfiction for goodness's sake_

 _(I had to suffer through it_

 _Oh poor you you know you loved it)_

 _If you did enjoy, please leave a review because this is the last fluff you'll be getting in a while T_T_

 _Also, CONVENIENT TIMING IS CONVENIENT IT'S ZORO'S BIRTHDAY EVERYONE MAKE SURE TO BOTHER YOUR FRIENDS AND YELL AT THEM WITHOUT CONTEXT "IT'S THE MARIMO'S BIRTHDAY"_

 _Alright cool bye._


	24. Worth

_So i just realized that there's another fluff chapter coming your way so watch out for that ;)_

 _Also to those who love floofs and fluffs and happily ever afters, I apologize for what you're about to read._

 **Reviews :3**

LadyLiberal _\- Well I suppose Blackbeard's job in the story is to be a villain, so yes, he's being mean :( So happy you enjoyed the fluff! Another one coming soon (hmm might be the next one actually :3)_

Victoria Horn - _Ikr! I was so relieved to write/post it. Just something nice and calm before the real storm begins._

JMoon - _I agree! A night just to rest is soooo nice I was waiting forever to post it, and what do you know it happens to be on Zoro's birthday so convenient timing is convenient xD. Anyway I'm so glad you enjoyed the fluff floof fluffy floof floof :3_

 **Thank you to all that reviewed and your positive feedback does me a big happy :DD**

* * *

 ** _Worth_**

A dull ache pounded in the back of his skull, and Zoro pressed a hand into his mossy green hair in an attempt to stop the headache, though to no avail. If this keeps up, even he has to admit that his body would collapse on its own, but it can't fall, _he_ can't fall. He has a promise to keep, an enemy to kill, and a woman to… love?

A half mocking smirk rested at the edges of his lips. Love a woman, now that was something he'd never thought he would do, if anything, this is in the idiot cook's line of work. Hell, how did he end up falling for someone before that yellow headed bastard? Well, he did, so he supposed he'll go with it, but then again, who'd have thought it would be that damn know it all archeologist? Who knew… that it would be Nico Robin?

Zoro didn't get much peace for the rest of his nap time, for when he went to reach for the Ichimonji, his hands closed on empty air.

Instantly alert, Zoro flipped out of bed, swept the two other katanas into his sash, and almost broke the door to get out, in his haste, Zoro didn't see Sanji open an eye to see him leave.

Once on the deck, Zoro spotted the thieves in no time, it was those little bastards again, the ones who strangely resembled ants. Five of them had the Ichimonji held high above their heads, and were shamelessly marching the meito towards the sea, surprisingly quiet despite their methods of walking, and promptly leapt off the side, the Ichimonji still in toll. Naturally, rage and protectiveness flared in Zoro, and he didn't give it a second thought before he too, splashed into the ocean depths.

* * *

Chopper, Brook, herself, and of course, Zoro, were aware of his condition, though only two of the four knew why.

Robin sat at her desk, a book open before her, her eyes seeing the knowledge but her brain not registering it. A few extra limbs absentmindedly sorted the books around the room for the who-knows-how-manyth time. It troubled her again, that feeling of pure unease, last time, they had gotten separated shortly after, she didn't want to know what it would be this time.

Robin's right forefinger nonchalantly traced circles on the page, wearing the paper until a mark permanently marred the book. Looking up at the clock, Robin realized that almost an hour had passed, and still the book had not flipped, still she was on the same page from which she started. Heaving a sigh, Robin gave up her futile struggles and left the study, padding straight for the men's dorm, hoping to check on the swordsman. However, before she could reach it, she spotted the familiar figure on the fall towards the ocean, a splash and a fountain of sparkling water soon followed, liquid sloshing around on the deck of the Sunny where he had stood just seconds before.

Blank.

Just like that, her mind went blank.

What… in… the world… had he… been _thinking_?!

Her scream woke up the entire crew, sending everyone stumbling out of their respective dorms and gathering around the railing, where Robin was grabbing onto the wood so tight her knuckles turned a frightening shade of pale.

"Robin-Chan, what's wrong?" Sanji's strangely shaped eyebrow swept downward in a frown as he beheld the sight of a panicking lady. "What did the marimo do now?" His voice soon look on a lower, more dangerous tone as he registered what Robin had said and what his eyes had seen in a half awake state.

" _ZORO!"_

"He'll only hurt himself more if he gets exposed to sea water in his condition, and I can't swim, someone help him!" It was Robin, after all, though freaked out, she still held herself together, each word coming out strong and clear for everyone to hear. The time for keeping secrets is over, Zoro can hold a grudge against her for the rest of his life if he wants, but right now, she isn't hiding anything else, because hiding means death to the man she loved.

As expected, half of the crew soon took on an expression of confusion.

"His condition?" Luffy wondered, "what could happen to Zoro? He's so strong."

"And there are stronger people out there." Robin dismissed Luffy's question and dragged the conversation back to the crisis at hand. "Like I said, salt water on open, untreated wounds-"

"Can be fatal." The small reindeer finished Robin's sentence, noticeably swallowing tears. "If we don't get him out of the water, Zoro will die."

 _Zoro will die._

That is not something she had taken into account, not a possibility she had allowed herself to ponder.

 _Zoro will die._

Was this what he meant when he said he was going to break her heart? There were so many ways, so many ways to take someone's heart, play with it, and hand it back battered and bruised.

 _Zoro._

He will _not_ , he was her man now, he has been from the moment their lips made contact, so without her permission, he shall not, can not, and will not die. "No, no he won't, not if we get him out in time." Her voice sounded far away, her eyes fixated on the place where Zoro had jumped in, where someone else created another splash as Sanji dove in after the swordsman.

 _Will not._

"Franky! Prepare the Shark Submarine and the Mini Merry, we're going in!" Nami ordered as the crew burst into action. Robin, Chopper, and Luffy took the Shark Submarine; Brook, Nami, Usopp, and Franky took the Mini Merry; and Sanji was already swimming there on his own. Whatever it takes, the Strawhat Crew will not lose its swordsman.

 _Die._

* * *

All eight landed successfully, but a layer of gloom still encased the entire group, not one of them had even glimpsed green in the water, much less Zoro himself. As they all climbed ashore, Sanji now completely soaked, the Strawhats fanned out and combed the shore for any signs of their friend.

"Over here!" Luffy's call rounded the pirates up where he stood, a patch of wet and rumpled sand at his feet, tracks leading from it into the forest, halting abruptly at the grass, but what worried and disturbed them the most was the little red marks along the way. Zoro was running, it was evident to anyone who can see the footprints, they were spaced far apart, each one deeper and more engraved into the ground than the last. Water accompanied the tracks, and it wasn't hard to figure out that their very own swordsman had left these footprints.

"He made it." Chopper breathed, his relief written clearly in his features, but worry was also threaded in between his brows. Why, the Strawhats could guess, well… maybe except Luffy.

"Yosh! Let's go find Zoro!" The captain, after noting Chopper's diagnosis, shot up and bounded towards the trees, not a sliver of concern on his forever carefree features, leaving the others to exchange "he's helpless" glances before following him into the forest. Everything seemed so peaceful, the redwoods still stood high above everything else, the grass still quivered gently in the breeze, the underbrush still rustled with the comings and goings of nocturnal creatures. The peacefulness on the outside contradicted on so many levels with the hearts and minds of the infamous Strawhat Pirates. To them, this is the calm before the storm.

* * *

 _The Wado Ichimonji._

" _You're weak as usual, Zoro."_

" _Promise me! One day either you or me will become the greatest swordsman in the world! We'll compete to see who does it!"_

" _Stupid, saying that even though you're weak."_

…

" _It's a promise!"_

It's a promise. A promise he made to a friend long ago, a promise he has to keep, simply has to. Because he won't let Noroi become the best, because Kuina would only be disappointed in him.

Zoro half stumbled, half ran through the forest, the injuries on him having at some point shown themselves, maybe Noroi has finally gotten sick of this game. Blood slithered down his neck, his torso, his arms, his legs, staining his clothes and his two remaining katanas, leaving a trail behind him. Well, maybe his friends will have an easier time finding him like this. A glum and bitter smile tugged at his lips, that woman's dark mindset has been affecting him…

"Don't try to ambush me." The scorching lava landed just as he jumped to the side, Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu in his hands and ready to attack, the Kitetsu especially quivering with the thrill of battle. The branches and leaves on a nearby tree burned away to reveal the enemy, who landed on the ground with a chorus of sizzling as the grass beneath went up in flames.

"Struggling is pointless."

"You never know if you never try."

As if by some unknown signal or pulled by invisible strings, the two attacked simultaneously, one the Fleet Admiral driven solely by justice and whom gained fame as the one to wipe out Fire Fist Ace, the other the infamous Pirate Hunter who had planted fear into the very souls of pirates back in the day, and had a bounty of 120 million. Haki imbued katanas clashed with bubbling, boiling lava, blood sprayed from old and new injuries alike, and mere seconds passed before the trees and grass were stained patches of red.

They clashed again, and again, and again. The katanas remained clean and without so much as a nick, the lava ruthless as ever and forcing its opponent back with every step, the fleet admiral always seeming to be that much stronger no matter how much the swordsman strained. The two clashed again, this time, the lava wove around the katanas like serpents, snaking down the blade, reaching for the hilt and the unprotected skin just inches beneath. Zoro pulled, urging all his strength into his arms, and pulled, the katanas remained where they are, and the lava remained advancing, closer and closer and closer to his hands. Right then and there, his only option was to abandon his two weapons and leap back in order to avoid his skin being burned off, but that would mean he is left with nothing other than his bare hands and his Armament Haki to defend himself, which would surely put him at a disadvantage against his current opponent.

Two choices: lose his hands or lose his katanas.

Zoro isn't dumb, losing his hands would mean that he won't be able to use his familiar style anymore, it would mean his only option would be to use his mouth. On the other hand, if he were to give in now, his katanas would possibly be destroyed. Sure, he could get replacements, but after training with these boys for over two years, replacing them would nullify his power. As he was contemplating his choices, the lava dripped onto the hilt, he didn't have time, a few more seconds and his skin will meet the same fate as the plants and animals around the area. With one last defiant struggle, Zoro lurched back, meanwhile giving his katanas a demand to move.

All weapons have a soul, a conscience, a hidden consciousness, and right now, he depended on that. He depended on the Shusui's and the Kitetsu's will to survive, to continue serving him, he relied on that, combined with his own strength, to free them of Akainu's lava grip. It worked… partially. The blades slid out a couple of inches, at least he bought himself some time.

The thought was soon contradicted as a flying slash attack shoved through the trees, everything in its way splintering into nothingness. Zoro didn't need to look to know who it was.

Noroi.

Now he really didn't have a choice. By pure instinct and training reflexes, he ducked and rolled out of the way, the two katanas leaving his hands and now at the mercy of the man who takes justice too far. The attack whistled over his head, scraping off a couple of strands of green as it passed. The following screech was deafening, for anyone else, it would have sounded like something out of a nightmare, but Zoro knew that it was nothing but the wind. Wind Cutter, the name suits him.

"You're still alive?"

"You'd be surprised."

He stood to come face to face with the man who had long since been possessed by the spirit of jealousy, and didn't even flinch. Noroi's long, pale hands reached up to grab Zoro's chin, the nails digging into his flesh, so hard that it drew blood. Pain, he had become numb to it. This? This was nothing.

"You're so stubborn, Roronoa, so weak, no wonder she always beat you with one move."

"As far as I remember, she would also beat your arrogant ass every time you two sparred."

A black fire seemed to engulf Noroi's eyes, and after a few seconds, during which he seemed to be thinking of all the ways he could kill the other swordsman, he threw Zoro to the side, the impact knocking the wind out of him and further opening the injuries. Blood pooled, and Noroi couldn't seem to be bothered enough to hide his satisfaction. Zoro's vision blurred with red, and when he blinked it away, it slid down his face, touched his lips, and into his mouth. Metallic, slightly sweet. Of course, blood.

Standing was a challenge, but through sheer will power and pride in front of foes, Zoro did it. He stood facing two people he never thought he would see together, and he stood facing the most desperate situation he's been in since Thriller Bark.

* * *

He could barely fend off their attacks, the combined power of a master swordsman and an admiral went far beyond his limits even in a normal fight. Haki coated his fists and forearm, and as he scrambled to protect himself, he noted the two katanas laying on the grass, scorching the greenery beneath them. They were his only chance. As he fought, Zoro slowly started backing towards the abandoned swords, each step increasing his survival by a single percent.

He knew he couldn't trick Noroi this easily, but he had to try. Just as he thought, it turned out to be in vain. The Wind Cutter didn't even let him get within a meter of the fallen katanas before he cut Zoro off, the Shodai Kitetsu gleaming devilishly in the moonlight.

"You're about to die, Roronoa, any last words?"

"I won't."

"That stubbornness is what's going to cost you your life."

The Kitetsu soared towards Zoro, and everything blurred in and out of focus, he was losing it, but he can't die, not here, not now.

He raised his arms, the Haki fading in and out as his concentration wavered, and deep down, he knew he wouldn't be able to fend off this attack. All of this, risking his life, all for the Wado Ichimonji, and he's never asked himself whether it was worth it. The answer was obvious: yes. The Wado Ichimonji would always be worth it, no matter how much he has to risk, but… did he have something else that was worth more?

Blue eyes, raven black hair, a trademark giggle, sunglasses…

Nico Robin.

How much has she become to him?

The katana drew closer, and his need to survive flared, the fire brightened, and he forced all of his remaining shreds of willpower into his Haki, hoping against hope that he'll be able to take this strike.

The impact never came.

Instead, Zoro was knocked back several steps, slammed into a tree trunk, and slid down onto the grass, pain blinding him and setting his entire being on fire. Clenching his teeth, Zoro forced his eye open, and though everything was a blur, he saw what he needed to see.

Seems like even that man has the potential to care.

* * *

Robin tore through the woods alongside the other Strawhats, following the trail of blood that led into the trees, replacing the tracks on the sand. Anxiety boiled inside her, and she felt like her mind was going to explode if they didn't find him soon. She had eyes scouting just about everywhere in the forest, and her real ones weren't taking a break either. They combed through the trees, the bushes, the grass, not missing anything, even places only big enough to hide an ant.

They ran, they ran, they ran, and they kept running until they were stopped by Dracule Mihawk, but no one even seem to care or even register the appearance of the Shichibukai, instead, what they saw was the man he carried in his arms. Robin's heart stumbled, and for the moment, she didn't care that Mihawk is capable of killing her anytime and anywhere he wanted to, all she saw right then was the robe stained with blood, the matted green hair, and the streams of red running down his body. At the moment, she really didn't care if she had died right then and there to get to him.

The crew stood in complete shock, Luffy's carefree expression completely replaced with one of horror, and Sanji's usual coolness deserting him, leaving the cook with his eye wide, the cigarette long forgotten on the ground. Robin couldn't blame him, this probably reminded him too much of the sacrifice at Thriller Bark, but that was in the past, the present… she hated to say it, but the present was much, much worse.

"Zoro… Zoro can you hear me?"

He didn't move, didn't stir, the only sign of life in him was the almost undetectable rising and falling of his chest. He can't die, she won't let him, she refused to let go of the one worth the absolute world to her.

* * *

 _Gomenasai_

 _I've decided to stop asking for reviews cuz I feel like if someone has something to say they'll post it on their own :)_

 _FEEDBACK IS STILL WELCOME PLEASE TELL ME WAYS I CAN IMPROVE (either in terms of writing or just general story telling like places that may have been confusing to you :3)_


	25. Oh, Nico Robin

**Reviews :3**

JMoon - _I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter :D! I'm sorry for what I did to marimo but I promise I'll compensate in this chapter, because even though it's not as fluffy as "Happy Birthday", I assure you that floofs shall definitely be present ;)_

Victoria Horn- _I'm sorry ;-; I swear he'll be treated better in the *ahemsomewhatdistant* future. Also I'm so happy that the story is good enough for you to want to read regardless of where you are :3!_

* * *

 ** _Oh, Nico Robin_**

Mihawk said no more, just set his only pupil down on the grass, turned, and walked away, leaving behind a simple look at the man who wishes to kill him.

"Zoro…" Robin's voice was small, near inaudible, almost as if she was scared that she could hurt him even by talking too loudly. "Zoro." A slender, quivering hand rested on top of his chest, and as gentle as it could, rocked him from side to side. "Wake up, the sun's coming up." Denial coated her voice, and she talked as if he has simply overslept. If it wasn't for the blood, maybe anyone would have thought that he simply overslept.

"We have to get him back to the Sunny, be as gentle as possible, do _not_ expose him to anything that could possibly worry his injuries, and keep him as stable as you can." Chopper, finally recovered from the initial shock of seeing the swordsman like this, threw out orders as he scrambled over, a hoof moving to test Zoro's heartbeat, and when the doctor was assured that it remained pumping under his sturdy chest, he moved aside for Sanji and Luffy, who hoisted Zoro up between the two and took slow, careful steps towards the shore where the submarine and the Mini Merry awaited.

Robin kept at his side, never a step behind and never a step before. Everything had left her, her knowledge, the poneglyphs, her observant nature, everything. Just like that day in this very forest, when he fell from 60 feet up, she saw him, him, and only him.

* * *

Luffy was confused, angry, and blank. This man, the first member to join his crew, the one that told him that he would never lose again. How had this happened? What or who could possibly have the power to bring about such damage to Zoro? Not only that, but seeing the swordsman limp in his arms and covered in blood, he kept remembering the death of another someone that he had put above life itself. He kept remembering the fist that protruded from his body, the lava that burnt his fire, the vivre card that was reduced to ash before his very eyes, and of course, the blood that splattered, the blood that had poured from his burnt insides, the blood, the blood, the blood. So much blood…

Luffy's hands were stained, sticky, red, and he didn't care. To be honest, at that moment, he had wanted to run, to sprint, to swim, to do whatever, just to get Zoro back to the Sunny faster, but even he knew that doing that would only kill his first mate faster. He had to take it slow, had to move one slow, steady step at a time, or else… he didn't want to think about the "or else".

* * *

Sanji's eye fixed, devoid of emotion, on some point beyond his captain, beyond the shoreline, beyond the Mini Merry and the Shark Submarine, beyond the horizon, beyond everything. This marimo… wasn't once enough? This _idiot_ , he had a casual dance with death just before they were separated, and now that they have finally reunited, he invites it to another?! As much as Sanji disliked the marimo, he is still _nakama_ , and to be completely fair, the man isn't half bad sometimes, though that thought will go no further than in his head thank you very much.

The cook had no trouble admitting that he did not wish to see his rival like this, that he didn't want to see the memories, didn't want to remember, didn't want it to happen again.

Zoro really needed to get out of his habit of sacrifice.

* * *

"Get him on the Mini Merry, the submarine is too hard to get in, it'll do him no good to be in a cramped space." Chopper hopped aboard first and watched, his small body still as a statue and tense, as the swordsman was set down in the small boat. Robin boarded soon after, and Sanji voluntarily stepped out. Classic, he always did bow to the will of women. Though this time, there was more to it than Chopper knew.

"The submarine will have to make two trips," Nami pointed out, her, Brook, and Franky already inside. "Sanji-Kun, Usopp, would you mind waiting for a bit?"

"We'll be fine, Nami-San, go ahead." It's been a while since Sanji had spoken so seriously to a lady, the first time after their reunion he hasn't struggled with a nosebleed in the presence of one, behavior that really alerted someone to the severity of the situation.

"Don't even think about swimming, Sanji, stay here until they come for you two. Remember, you haven't completely healed yet either." Chopper warned. Yes, Sanji and Robin have long since shed their bandages from Noroi's assault, but that doesn't mean they are completely fine, especially Sanji. After taking that stab from a master swordsman with what Chopper had gathered was a cursed katana, it would take, at the very least, a month for the cook to heal, and it's only been a little more than a week.

"Yes, yes, we know." Sanji waved off the scolding and lit another cigarette, the flames dancing in the rising sunlight. "Now go take care of that marimo."

* * *

" _One more thing, if the time ever comes, you cannot allow treatment to these injuries."_

" _But-"_

" _No matter what."_

There was not much else to do, Robin sat beside his bed, and watched him. She had bent her promise. It hadn't been the doctor that had tended to him, but she herself had attempted to treat him. Bandages covered his bare chest, and though applied with inexperienced hands, were doing their job well… enough. Red had already started to seep through the white, and Robin watched as her heart cracked a bit more with every breath. She cannot do any more, and though it hurt, it hurt so much to see his suffering exposed in broad daylight, she had already broken a promise enough.

"Will you die?" The words escaped before she had time to think about it, floated into the empty air before she could reel them in. They hovered there, the room echoing with them, or maybe that's just inside her head. No he won't, of course he won't, Zoro isn't one to die easily, how could she even think like that? But her mind continued to spin, her world continued to spin, maybe she just needed a confirmation from him, coming from his mouth, maybe then she'll let herself believe.

"I won't."

The words almost had her toppling off the chair, and as her head snapped up to look at Zoro, she found herself an amused swordsman.

"Why? Do you want me to?" The green haired man teased, and Robin knew well enough that he was only trying to make her feel better, but that wasn't important right now.

"No, of course not! Wait, what no, you're awake!" Robin's words came in a scramble, and she fought to hide her fluster. Honestly, this man is the only person that can make her feel so chaotic with one sentence. "How are you feeling?" Collecting herself and moving to sit at the edge of the bed, Robin's eyes searching his face for any signs of pain or fatigue, or both.

"Fine."

He earned himself a glare for that.

...

"Ok, so maybe it hurts… a little."

Robin sighed at his stubbornness and brought her legs up to furl into her chest. "Well, getting you to admit it hurts is already a feat, so I'll take that answer."

The bed shuddered and blankets rustled as Zoro pushed into a sitting position, any possible suffering hidden by his forever serious expression and monotone voice. "How long have I been out?"

"Not too long, a day at most?" Robin estimated, noting the slivers of silvery moonlight peeking through the windows. When he didn't reply, she asked a tentative question. "You're not mad?"

"For what?"

"For breaking the promise."

"I suppose not."

They didn't speak for a very long time after that, just sat there, gazes wandering, sometimes meeting, and time slowly ticked by.

* * *

An hour had passed, maybe two, and her legs had started to fall asleep.

"I should let you rest." Reaching out a hand to help herself up, Robin didn't get very far before her legs and body betrayed her, the numbness speeding up her thighs into her waist, and she brought herself toppling down upon… well… on top of the swordsman.

Before she knew it, Robin found her eyes centimeters away from Zoro's singular one, the fire inside flaring into something else as she felt her hands on his broad, muscled chest. The fabric of the wrappings felt rough under her pale fingers, and it almost reminded her of his hands, the roughened, calloused, but surprisingly gentle hands that can encase her own so, very easily.

Such hands reached up then and wrapped around hers, the warmth immediately seeping into her skin, crawling up her arm and through her entire body. One touch, that's all it takes.

This time, Robin didn't possess enough willpower to hide the blush racing up her neck. Her cheek soon took on a tender shade of pink, and she gave a few gentle tugs to her hands. He didn't budge. Even with his mangled body, the man is strong. "Zoro…?"

He still didn't say anything, just kept her there, partially against her will, and let his eye sear into hers. Electricity buzzed in the air, and when he finally moved, for the first time since he had sat up a couple of hours ago, it was to flip themselves upside down so that he ended up on top of her, his gaze never breaking hers, and it was like she didn't have an ounce of strength in her body to resist. Or maybe she didn't want to.

Zoro leaned in, the distance between them shrinking to a new level of closeness that Robin had never felt before, both in body and in spirit. She didn't want to pull away, didn't want to stop his reckless behavior, didn't want to stop _this_ … whatever it was. She had a fair enough sense of what was coming, she just didn't really expect Zoro to take the initiative. This was Roronoa Zoro, the cold, distant swordsman, sometimes even coming across as dour or stolid, not exactly the kind of man someone would expect to… go in for the kill, if you will.

The weight of Zoro's body on hers didn't feel pressuring, Robin didn't feel the breathlessness that usually accompanied someone of his size being fully on top of her, instead, she had a different kind of feeling. She was… she was… the fingers in her mind groped around for a word that truly described how she was feeling. Robin felt something stirring within her, some strange instinct that fueled her body. She felt… she felt…

When their lips came together and he spoke, she finally found the word that she had been looking for.

She was _anticipating_.

* * *

Hurt, pain, blood, whatever. Zoro had long since stopped feeling, ever since Nico Robin had curled up in a little ball in the corner of this bed. A feeling of pure wanting had blanketed his soul, and it had taken a surprising amount of self control to keep himself from making a move, but when she fell on top of him, the walls shattered, crumbled, and he didn't give a damn about anything else. Some beast within had awakened, and his mind took on a primal way of thinking: if he wanted this, he will have it.

Zoro twisted, any physical or mental limitations long forgotten. His mind was a mess, a blurry hurricane of thoughts, some clearer parts telling him to stop, but the rest, well, the rest overpowered any particle of sane left in him, and Zoro let himself do what he wanted.

* * *

A certain small reindeer padded across the deck for the men's dormitory, some bandages in hand and a determined expression on his face. He knew that Robin told him that she would take care of it, that Zoro didn't wish for his wounds to be treated, for reasons unknown, but as a doctor, and as _nakama_ , he simply refused to leave the swordsman with open wounds.

As the dorm came into Chopper's line of sight, he spotted Nami heading to the door, but when she reached out for the handle, she froze. Confused, Chopper decided to wave and alert her of his presence, but when she looked, her featured donned a strange expression, and the navigator took no time in running over and sweeping the little reindeer into her arms. "I'm sure they'll be fine, Chopper, now let's go get you some cotton candy."

The little doctor's eyes exploded into stars at the mention of his all time favorite food, and allowed Nami to whisk him away to the kitchen, where the navigator exchanged hushed words with the cook. Moments later, Chopper was sitting at his desk, reading a medical book while enjoying the giant puff of cotton candy that Sanji had somehow whipped up, his concern for Zoro's well being taken care of by his faith in both Nami and Robin.

However, to this day, he still doesn't understand why the navigator had been in such a hurry to get him away from that room.

* * *

Zoro's mind couldn't form words, his body following pure instinctual desires, and the woman beneath him did her best to cooperate. Hunger shone in his eye, and hers reflected his emotions, though less extreme, and he knew that she too, wanted it like he did. Zoro at that moment had purely been an animal, his mind was wild, and that same wildness was evident in his eye in the form of a fire unlike any other.

It was a strange feeling, but he liked it, he was drawn to it as well as curious about it. The curiosity that he had first felt for the creature under him flooded back to Zoro, and he regained some shreds of humanity. Words pieced together in his throat, and when their lips clashed, he murmured it into her mouth.

"Oh, Nico Robin."

* * *

 _I mean... does this count as fluff (it's gonna be important later on trust me)?_

 _Anyway, have an awesome day and wonderful Shanksgiving (yes i know it was thursday shhhhh)!_


	26. Shadows

_Hi everyone I'm alive!_

 _(I mean... I guess that's good?_

 _Stop it you know you love me_

 _*sigh*)_

 _Anyway..._

 **Reviews :3**

LadyLiberal _\- Yayyyyyy fluffffffff_

Someone _\- First of all, perhaps and perhaps ;) Second, guilty xD Third, I apologize my dear reader but you won't be getting the rest of that... um... interaction :3 And finally, he's Zoro, even if I too wish for him to be more gentle with our delicate archeologist (ak L) he probably won't cuz he's Zoro, so don't question it._

Victoria Horn - _uwu_

JMoon _\- Well I mean they're both super chill so I guess there wouldn't be too much of a reaction *insert thinking emoji cuz im writing this on my computer* Also yes, Nami, I was waiting for someone to mention that xD. Thank uuuuuu :3_

 _So the general consensus seems to be that yes, it did count as fluff, even though it wasn't the... traditional? fluff and I didn't even write the whole thing but I'm glad you enjoyed what you got of it x3_

 _(longauthorsnotesorry;-;)_

* * *

 _ **Shadows**_

Perched on the railing of the Sunny, his eyes glued somewhere distant on the island, a swordsman had his hand on his two remaining katanas, the fingers constantly curling and uncurling as he seemed to grab for another one which is no longer within his grasp. Underneath the green attire, faded and red-stained bandagings snaked their way around his exposed torso, the once golden brown skin dulled and paled by long-endured pain and fatigue.

Roronoa Zoro.

Roronoa Zoro.

Pirate Hunter.

The man who once struck fear into the hearts, souls, and minds of thousands now a mere shadow of his former self. A shadow that faded as day after day wore by, as the once vibrant sun dipped closer and closer to the horizon. A shadow that flickered and shuddered like the sputtering flame of a dying candle.

A shadow that hid the same roaring wild fire within.

Something dear to him has been taken, and this man will not hesitate to reclaim it through whatever means necessary.

Robin knew.

Her fingers floated up to touch her lips, still soft and tender from last night, for perhaps the millionth time, and once more she wondered how he refrained from doing anything that even faintly hinted at what had passed between them, physically and mentally. If she had one word to define this man that sat not a few meters away, it would be willpower. There was no limit to his will to do what he wants: the will to fight, the will to rise, the will to defeat, and most importantly, the one thing that she perhaps admired and adored most about him...

" _I want to live!"_

The will to live.

Maybe that was why she had suddenly found that strength, that _desire_ , to keep living... maybe it had been those green eyes that had found hers and shoved a fistful of will into her through some invisible bond, something that had been set in stone long before he offered her his trust.

* * *

She was behind him. He would know it anytime, anywhere. That unique essence, the darkness that radiated from her, now combined with a gentle flow of warmth, of a thing called love, a thing that he has finally had the courage to understand, to _try_ and understand.

In the past, perhaps he had once been capable of loving, perhaps when Kuina was still alive, he had had some form of childish crush on the girl, but never love, and after she left this world… He realized that he was afraid to offered up his heart again, that...

The tingling sensation once again shuddered down his spine, the feeling of hundreds of eyes searing into his very being, and amidst all of that, a presence that he hasn't felt for much too long. Two decades of training snatched his body, and tension rocketed through his muscles.

 _Eyes eyes eyes._

The left hand that had been so restlessly fidgeting froze in mid air, the fingers instinctively falling into a familiar grip. It's there.

 _It' there it's there it's there._

His treasure is underneath this very ship among those tiny monsters that had so relentlessly chanted his name and tried (though failed miserably) to take him to whatever twisted soul had wanted to take his life in the most agonizing way possible. Impulse alone was enough to drive him over the side of the ship, yet a hand, slender and pale and warm, gripped his own, and the fire died a little under the steady gaze of Nico Robin.

* * *

Thank the lord she had moved fast enough to grab his hand before he jumped off again, the fire in his eye mixed with lightning and the promise of an incoming thunderstorm. The skin that touched hers was warm enough to make someone worry, and Robin gave a firm but gentle tug to his arm, willing him to back away from the railing onto the safety of the deck. What she wasn't expecting was a hiss of pain.

The sound ricocheted throughout her, and she felt her arm slacken without meaning to. The tug had been no more than small movement to urge him away from the water, yet it had been enough to hurt, enough that he let himself show a sign of weakness.

"Zoro…"

He seemed to have realized his mistake the moment the sound escaped his lips, and his eye was nothing short of steely when it found her own, yet a tendril of apology still found its way in, swimming around in the green depth that beheld her.

"Stop, please, rest, take a break."

"They have it."

She knew what he meant, yet still her mind begged for him to rest, to let his body unwind, to let the tension leak out of the taught muscles little by little, until they can go back to what they were that night when he had fallen asleep on her shoulder, when relaxation had adorned his features and he hadn't been anything more than Zoro. Just Zoro. No Pirate Hunter, no "World's Greatest Swordsman", not even a pirate with a bounty on his head. Just Zoro: a man who had finally learned to love.

"We'll get it back, just… not now." Robin held her voice steady, every word firm yet a gentle reprimand as they left her lips. Her teal ringed eyes kept an iron grip on his gaze, keeping him there like a trapped animal, a silent growl rippling in the pool of unnatural green.

Bracing herself, Robin gave another tug to his arm, watching the pain dance in his eye alongside the savagery, feeling her heart crack as he noticeably swallowed another hiss. At some point during their exchange, the crew had gathered around, quiet as death himself, even Luffy's eyes blanketed with a layer of solemnity, his straw hat hanging limply behind him. Robin watched as the swordsman's eye swept over the faces of the gathered, his friends, a family, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, she had seen some glimmer of remorse as the steel wavered. It unsettled her.

There shouldn't be anything that he needs to feel remorse for, they were a crew, a family, and they help each other through the hardest of times, she herself having survived her own due to this amazing ground of individuals, including the man that now stands in front of her, that she now loves with passion that she had thought long gone from her soul. If they lose something, they lose it together, if they gain something, they celebrate together, what was there to be remorseful for? The feeling of unease climaxed as she felt the muscles beneath her hand shift, and then tense. On the verge of frantic, Robin turned to the crew, only to find their captain and cook in a similar state of being, and then she heard it. Felt it. The power that rang through the sky, the darkness that reflected the charred soul underneath,

The Wind Cutter's laughter.

Zoro snarled, a sound more feral than a human should have been able to make, even one with such a demonic aura. Shadows flared across the deck of the sunny, tainted with the eerie purple of night and death, and it didn't take the archeologist long to match the presence with the God of Demons: Asura.

The darkness spread far and wide, the very ocean rumbling with the hidden power and rage, the waves splashing aboard as the hand beneath her own became foreign, and a demon unleashed itself upon the world.

* * *

The Sunny shuddered with the impact from some unknown force, but Zoro saw nothing past the flare of purple energy that now encased his body. He hasn't summoned this force for too long, and during the two years it had _begged_ to be released, yet he hadn't allowed it, because he needed to improve on his physical skills and mental shields in order to refrain from bowing to this demon within, like so many others before him have no doubt did. The voice rasped in his ear, a malicious yet honey-sweet thing that hooked him, baited him to _come, join me, come and we can achieve the dreams that seem so out of reach. Come. Come. Come._ The cursed katana shuddered, even in its sheath it refuses to stay still, and the scar over his left eye burned, searing into his skin as if someone had set it on fire. A low, animalistic growl rippled out of his chest, and Zoro felt the beast tearing and shredding its way to the surface as the essence of the Wado Ichimonji once again disappeared from his mind's eye.

In a distant reality, the swordsman glimpsed the retreat of a shadow, a wild, bucking figure with the tail of a fish and the body of a horse. The man on top gripped in his hand the all too familiar katana, the white sheath gleaming defiantly in the hands of one that it does not respect. He was also faintly aware of the woman that held him back, the hand that still lay on top of his, and some still logical part of him knew that if it wasn't for that hand, even the Sunny wouldn't have survived the blast of energy that roiled beneath the flames, snarling and hissing and clawing at the mental shields that he launched one after another to keep them at bay. As if on cue, they flared, the purple hue reflecting off the faces of the Strawhat crew and sending the sky above the Sunny tumbling into impenetrable darkness.

Their ship shuddered, and even through the demon whispering bargains into his ear, Zoro felt those eyes, felt them _through_ the hundred-year-old wood that was the Thousand Sunny, felt them daring him to go after that katana. And oh they knew he will, and even if it is a trap he _will_ get that katana back. Through whatever means necessary. Sunny rocked again, and two and two came together in Zoro's mess of a mind, somehow finding each other across the chaotic waters and winds. What their ship had encountered that day had not been a mere rock or coral reef, it had been those little _things_ , the monsters that resembled ants. They were the ones responsible for keeping them on the island for so long, for someone had planned this since the very, _very_ beginning. The laughter echoed in his mind, and when he saw land beyond the railing of the Sunny, he did not stop to contemplate how it got there before his legs moved of their own accord. Zoro sprang off, his hand leaving that of Robin's, the feline grace no sooner landing him on the sand before the muscles bunched again and he launched through the air like a bird, a falcon, an eagle, a predator.

Straight into the forest, where nothing but darkness and shadow awaited, where his own flames and shadows, now an unsettling shade of blood red and demonic purple, would clash with Noroi's. And rip them apart.

They writhed and growled in answer.

* * *

They ran _with_ him this time, not after him.

The Strawhats surrounded their swordsman as he hurtled through the woods, the redwood trees losing their comforting touch and pressing in on them from all sides. What had just occurred on the Sunny sang through her head again, and again, and again. Never before has she seen Zoro in such a state of hatred and rage and something that, if she hadn't known better, would have read as panic. Or maybe it was panic…

Robin, truthfully, did not know better.

They flanked him, on all sides, as the flame mercilessly ate a passage through the forest, the greenery shriveling up wherever the reddish purple fire even grazed. Not a matter of minutes have passed before a long, ravaging scar tore its way through the forest, the horrid stench of rotting wood and charred carcasses of small creatures lingering in its wake.

Robin was crashing through the underbrush on his right, the purple flame practically licking at her skin, when the abrupt halt almost brought her tumbling onto her face into the dirt. Feeling the burn creeping up her face, Robin scrambled to gather herself and her shredded dignity, but when she looked up, any thought of lingering pride or embarrassment fled from the sight before her, while her soul strained towards it.

The temple was… magnificent, for the lack of a better word, or any words worthy of describing this masterpiece laid bare before her. It was an ancient thing, the topmost layers already crumbling away into nothing but sand to fall amongst the grains on the beach, the shore that they had reached, where the temple perched on a cliff, over the raging waters of the ocean below. Even the waves seemed to sense the presence of the temple, the ancient, mysterious power that surely resided within, for they roared and pummeled the jagged death below the cliff, jutting out of the water like guardians of the ruin, like a trap that nature itself laid to keep this beautiful piece of architecture and history safe. However, what intrigued her and called to her even more was the runes carved into the cracked and weathered stone, the writing that covered the temple from roof to foundation, the runes that she recognized from the prophecy.

The stone flashed in her mind, and Robin did a mental comparison of that to the structure before her. The color, the writing, even the texture of what she can see of the temple matched that of the rock. Thoughts whirled in her head, so much to know, to decode, to find out about this world. Puzzle pieces jumbled together, and she, unbeknownst to herself, slipped away into that silent realm of hers, the fingers in her mind desperately trying to understand the mass of mystery before her. That is, until a long, rumbling growl brought her back to the real world, and she turned just in time to see Zoro leap.

* * *

He saw the flames, _was_ the shadows, swift as the wind and sea and sky as he soared towards Noroi, whose blades clashed in aura as he held them firm, as every second brought an enemy closer and closer and closer. A snarl clawed its way out of his body, and Zoro wasted no time in drawing his own katanas.

The Road of Harmony and the First Demon Splitter.

The Water of Autumn and the Third.

The clash sent the very Earth rumbling with displeasure, and when Marshall D. Teach raised his hands, shadows wreathing around his jewelry-adorned fingers…

All hell broke loose.

* * *

 _Minna-San, the real storm has begun._


	27. An Offering To The Darkness

_As the one that had written this story and rated it M, I feel like I have the obligation to warn you:_

 **AGGRESSIVE CONTENT COMING UP INCLUDES VIOLENCE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

 _Alright cool._

 **Reviews~ :3**

JMoon _\- First of all, thank you for your questions, I enjoy answering them very much :D! Also I think my answer to your first question is going to hopefully answer both. Ok so the way I wrote this story is that I started writing much earlier than I started posting, so I would write in advance and then edit the chapter when I post it. Basically, when I initially wrote this chapter, the latest chapters of One Piece weren't out yet, but you're right, the feeling kind of does remind of them (and I won't say any more cuz spoilers :P). As for your second question, I am happy to announce that as of right now, the story is already finished and waiting to be uploaded ;)_

Victoria Horn _\- Well... *insert evil laughter*_

* * *

 _ **An Offering To The Darkness**_

Magma and darkness and chaos and blood exploded across the clearing, earthquakes sending the very island trembling. The ocean roared its annoyance at the disturbance, and sea foam sprayed. The temple swayed, rocks raining down from the top and plummeting towards the Strawhats.

Robin leapt out of the way of one, watching as the crew scattered to avoid the boulders, Usopp already freaking out at the four figures that now towered on the roof of the temple, two of which circling each other. Predators getting ready to feast.

Wind Cutter Noroi.

Pirate Hunter Zoro.

Even with the crashing of the waves, the shattering of the temple, and the roaring of the earthquake… the silence was deafening.

One glance was enough to tell Robin that something is… _off_ , with the Wind Cutter, for the expression on his face clearly conveyed his desire to rip their swordsman limb from limb, yet he did not strike. Rage, horrible, feral rage contorted his handsome features, yet he did not strike. So Robin watched as Zoro waited, prowling along the edges of the roof, promptly ignoring the other two monsters alongside him.

Blackbeard, as she had suspected, but the other… Akainu? The marine? The one that values justice above all morals and ethics? Why would he help someone as infamous and cruel as Noroi? Wind Cutter, Wakazumi Noroi. A rogue with a breathtaking _one billion belis_ on his head.

The two legends stood by, Blackbeard's lips curling back to reveal his blackened teeth (rotten from decades of carelessness) and forming themselves into that wild, all-consuming smile, and yet some part of it almost reminded her of Luffy. Something about that careless structure and the light that threatened to explode from his eyes. Something about his persona gives him the same air, the same _feel_ as their own captain.

Yet not.

It's so much darker, so much… _less_ , than Luffy's "I really don't care and I just want adventure" smile. It really hit her sometimes, how people are on opposites sides of a spectrum, yet so much the same that it made others wonder whether they're born under the same star.

And Akainu…

The marine simply stood there, cap pulled low over his face, the shadow hiding his grim features. His arms were crossed, and the marine jacket stayed silent and still as death on his shoulders despite the whipping winds and roaring waters. They were portraits of two worlds, as different as night and day, yet, once again, so very similar.

The earth rumbled, and Robin fought to stay upright as trees were uprooted and even more of the temple came crashing down upon them. At the sight of the falling monument, a familiar rage wrapped around her heart and squeezed, the need to strangle someone when they are so careless with such wonderful pieces of their past, when they destroy a historical monument without so much as a blink... It was rising. These buildings are part of their _life_ , their past, present, and future, and they are willing to destroy it just because it doesn't serve any personal purpose anymore.

Robin wasn't sure when she had attacked, but when the red had cleared enough for her to see past the mist of her own anger, the archeologist realized that enormous hands had sprung out of the dirt and surged towards Blackbeard, a reckless decision, most definitely, but she hadn't been able to control herself. They formed a ring around the temple, striking with startling accuracy at the ones atop the crumbling structure while taking care not to damage it further.

They were snakes. Pythons. _Monsters_ that had been aggravated. So they struck, without an ounce of mercy.

The crew followed.

As the Strawhats rebanded and launched their own assault, Luffy's red vest and straw hat marking him in the lead, Akainu made his move.

Lava poured down the side of the building, the ancient script disappearing underneath wave after wave of molten rock, sizzling and crackling filling the forest air. Robin recoiled as the heat threatened to singe off her hair, and she watched as her friends once again scattered to avoid the onslaught. Panic seized her at the sight of the rubble, and she almost made a mad dash for it, one that surely would have resulted in her death, had a whisper not suddenly resonated across the clearing.

" _Get the woman."_

The moment it left the lips of the Wind Cutter, another voice struck. It was whispery, windy, yet so wholly different from that of its master. It was born from darkness, eternity, nothingness. This voice, it was born from the void.

Without a speck of doubt, Nico Robin knew that this was a voice from the mysteries of the Void Century. Her mind glazed over, as if a veil had settled over it, a mist that wrapped around her and whisked her away to another world.

Nothing remained but white.

White… and so much, _so_ much darkness.

* * *

There was nothing but blinding brightness on all sides. Up, down, left, right, south, north east west everything! Everywhere she looked there was nothing but a light so bright that Robin wondered whether she would leave this place blind, but in such brightness, there was darkness. Darkness so deep and so eternal and she desperately grabbed for the light. This place… It was nothing and everything. The end and beginning.

The darkness called to her.

The light stayed silent as death.

It thirsted for something, that impenetrable blackness. It wanted something, _needed_ something. Craved a soul, a sacrifice, anything to satisfy its unending hunger... and it whispered to her… told her secrets so dark that her heart became leaden with horror, secrets so twisted that her soul withered at their reveal. They whispered _her_ darkest secrets to Robin, chipped away at a soul little by little to reveal the small, quavering girl underneath.

The thing wanted an essence, something to quench its thirst, and soon she realized that it was _hers_ that it wanted. Hers that contained enough darkness to put an end to its hunger once and for all.

She doesn't... does she? They've been drowned, that darkness has long been drowned by light from her friends, her _nakama_ , her crew, and more recently, a swordsman. Yet the thing kept whispering, its voice silent but deafening, curling around her heart and soul and body and squeezing, squeezing, squeezing until she thought she would suffocate from the sheer weight of the horrors that it forced into her.

It was elevating, getting louder, _louder, LOUDER_ until it was screaming them in her ear, _LOUDER LOUDER LOU-_

The stop was too abrupt, the connection cut clean off like with a katana. The silence erupted, so silent that silence did not exist.

 _Helpmehelpmehelpmehelpmehelpme._

* * *

Had she been screaming?

What was that sound?

She can't say anything.

There's nothing there.

Where is she?

Somewhere out there, someone was screaming, roaring.

She could just make out what they were saying, but she couldn't make sense of it.

 _Ro… bin…?_

 _Nic… Ro… o… bin…?_

 _Robin?_

 _Nico… Robin…?_

 _Nico Robin._

Roaring, roaring. It blended in with the lashing waves, roaring, roaring, roaring.

 _Nico Robin._

Who is that?

Roaring, roaring.

 _Nico Robin._

Something about that voice was strangely familiar, and it wrenched at her shredded soul, blackened and gnarled from the darkness that the temple had forcefully shoved into her.

It was dark, and it was bright. Still roaring, someone roaring.

 _Nico Robin_.

It was escalating, going from a name to a pained snarl, then to a strange gurgle. Then… well… then something jolted her out of the realm that she was so trapped in. Twin roars launched into sky, intertwining around each other as everything suddenly came back into focus ,the speed so terrifying that Robin's head snapped back with the impact, momentarily blinded by sunlight that slapped brightness onto her face.

Things were coming back: the towering redwoods, suffocatingly close, the grass, dyed a brownish red by the spraying lava and flying blood, the temple, crumbling, the symbols glowing a dreadful shade of a color that she cannot recognize, and on top of it…

Zoro. Noroi. Blackbeard. Akainu… _Mihawk_.

With a horrible yet undefined sound ringing in her ears, Robin stared through hazy eyes at the Greatest Swordsman in the World, who stood face to face with Marshall D. Teach, a shimmering black blade the only thing between him and the man who wields two devil fruits, an unofficial Yonkou. Something slid down the sides of his face, something that Robin should be able to seen but couldn't for reasons she could not find. Everything was a blur, her surroundings fading in and out of focus as she struggled to shake the secrets from her mind. The worlds of death and torture. Of hate and shadows. Of _things_ that thrived without light. She wanted to rid of them once and for all, but they kept coming, haunting her like shadows in an abandoned mansion, as persistent as her very desire to learn about the Void Century.

But… this _was_ the Void Century… wasn't it?

That darkness and the horrors it contained, that _was_ the Void Century, part of it, at least. The thing that she's been after for most of her life, and… and… the reality struck her chest like a wrecking ball, and Nico Robin swayed on her feet, unwilling to accept a reality that's too cruel even for her.

Something was still ringing in her ear, yet she could not figure out what, and it simply added to her list of things that were driving her insane. She frantically grabbed for it, for answers, _any_ answers, but when she finally got it, it only shattered her more.

Roars, no, howls, no, bellows, no… there wasn't a word extreme enough to describe what her ears perceived, that soul-shredding, gut-wrenching sound that tore its way through time and space and the world itself as it spiraled into the sky above, deafening her, and presumably everyone else, to all other sounds, which faded to nothing but unimportant whispers, cowering like quarry from a bird of prey in the face of that sound. Everything around and in her froze at the recognition: her blood, her heartbeat, her brain, even her severed soul frosted over.

 _Zoro_.

* * *

He had promised himself that he wouldn't use it unless the situation left no other choice.

Like most other promises he had made, he broke it.

Rage coursed through his veins in the place of blood, and due to his own carelessness, not much is left.

They had tortured him, tied him to a pole and left wound after wound upon his flesh, and now… they hide like rats, like the lowlife _scum_ that they are, awaiting the order of their boss like worthless _dogs_ , panting and wagging their tails for someone else. These men have not a single shred of dignity, and oh how he'll enjoy meeting them on the path to the deepest and darkest levels of hell, a place that will make level 6 of Impel Down look like a _goddamn_ _joke_. These men, these _pigs_ , they enjoyed every second of the torment that they forced upon him… Precisely the way he enjoyed every second of committing the same cruelty to the thing in front of him.

 _Roronoa_.

Not for a moment had he regretted inflicting such horrors upon that swordsman. Not for a moment had he wished that he had not hurt the one that Kuina perhaps loved. Not for a moment had he not wanted this man _groveling_ at his feet. Not for a moment had he not dreamed of the day that this unworthy son of a bitch will lay dead and lifeless under his katana, the blade and ground running red with his blood.

Not for a moment had he not been ready to give his own life to kill this man.

So he activated it. This power that will bring himself just as much suffering as his victim. From the very bottom of the well of his power Noroi tugged up the power to torture. From the depths of his endless vault of hatred he brought forth the power to shred apart entire beings. One silent command…

And blood boiled.

* * *

Zoro didn't think that the heat could get any worse, did not think that the fever can cause any more lava in his blood than it already is.

How wrong he was.

The sudden attack of blood-curdling fire forcefully tore a roar from his chest, and he listened as it joined with something near identical and arrowed into the sky, now roiling with gray clouds plump and heavy with rain. His blood melted into molten rock, rolling under his skin and blistering the inside of his veins and blinding him to anything other than red-hot pain. He could not open his eyes, could not see, feel, or do anything. But still he heard.

The sound of horror, the scream of pure and undeniable terror, the shriek that echoed inside his head and cleared the pain with more pain. Protectiveness and anger curdled inside along with the lava, thrashing and boiling with his blood, adding flashes of darkness and white to his world of red. Subconsciously he heard his voice form a name, one that has become more than he could have ever imagined possible to him. Distantly he heard himself roar like a trapped and bleeding animal.

"NICO ROBIN."

Something sweet and metallic filled his mouth as the sound escaped his throat, dripping own his chin and falling with louder than possible splashes on the ground now sizzling beneath his feet. Again and again he heard that name shred its way out of his throat, time after time he felt the blinding agony as blood that boiled spilled and turned the temple around him a brownish crimson, and wherever it flowed, rock crackled and moaned in complaint.

Still he cried out, still he formed his suffering into two words that was perhaps all that could ease it.

 _Nico Robin_.

A sudden flare in his body squeezed another devastating bellow out of him, and somewhere he was aware that his voice was now hoarse and scratchy beyond recognition, but the pain of a chainsaw in his throat now became nonexistent as spikes of torment ran rampant through his veins.

Then it stopped.

Stopped so suddenly that part of him wondered if he had imagined the whole ordeal. Yet at the same time he knew that he had not due to the remnants of something paralyzing still padding comfortably in his body. The world was a blur of voices and sensations, all intertwined together so that he cannot tell one apart from another. The lid of his eye weighed down him like lead, attempting to keep his eye closed and lull him off to a land from which he will never return-

He's not ready. His life is not over. He had yet to defeat Mihawk and claim that titles for himself. He had yet to fulfill a promise. So before that Siren's lullaby can rock him into sleep, the remaining eye snapped open.

Suddenly he was aware.

Aware of everything around him, aware of the fact that he was a bloodstained heap on the ground, of the fact that someone opposite him mirrored that image, and even in a state of haziness and confusion, Zoro recognized a monster that haunted his dreams well into maturity.

Wakazumi Noroi was sprawled on the ground opposite himself, a similar image in the shadows that the rain clouds have cast over the temple and the forest beyond. Blood coursed down his body in streams, the roof of the temple now more of a dull yet vibrant red than the faded and crusted yellow of stone. Zoro did not understand, did not need to, because he could see that his opponent is now in just as bad a state as he is, and his chance of survival and victory has just increased tenfold. When Noroi looked up, the world around them faded away to a distant reality.

The savagery in those swirling purple black depths is something even Zoro is unfamiliar with, something that even his nature will not allow him to showcase to the world, it was something that went beyond the normality of human outrage, beyond the scope of human emotion. For the first time, Zoro's own demons shied away and cowered in the face of those of another, but he does not run, because he is no ordinary man… because he is Roronoa Zoro.

Almost simultaneously, the two swordsman started rising to their feet.

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

Sickening droplets of red, accompanied by fat drops of rain, splattered on the temple in the wake of the two sword masters, both wavering and unsteady on their feet. Zoro's vision was blurred, his functioning eye almost drowned under a layer of blood. He was blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear the red droplets from his field of sight, but they kept coming, and soon he gave up his futile struggles and turned to face a darkness that threatened to overpower his own. Shaking hands reached for the Wado Ichimonji, closed on thin air, and groped for Shusui and the Sandai Kitetsu instead. With the sharp and familiar sound of metal whistling through air, katanas rose from the ground and pointed at their foe, the Demon Splitters bathed in blood and grasped in the hands of two beings that they were created to destroy.

Demons faced Demons, katanas against katanas, and finally, the swordsmen attacked.

* * *

Dracule Mihawk faced someone that he'd never thought he would. At least, not so soon. Marshall D. Teach is a dangerous man, one that has the potential to rise to the power of that insufferable redhead. The glint on Yoru's black blade was almost devilish under the gathering rain clouds, and even he felt uneasy as he stared down the legend who wielded two devil fruits, his equally legendary sword the only thing in the air between them. Mihawk's infamous hawk eyes locked into the wildness of Blackbeard, and the two men that hold a high enough place in society to be considered mythical faced each other as the first crash of thunder rumbled across the gloomy sky, the ocean letting out a deafening roar of its own in response.

When a smile pulled Blackbeard's lips into a wide and menacing half moon, Mihawk knew that this was not someone that he could afford to toy with, that this was a predator who shared his place at the top of the food chain. Yoru began its rise into the air, and when night clashed against darkness, Mihawk heard the inhuman howl behind him subside. When night clashed against darkness, demons clashed against demons.

Blackbeard's swirling darkness encased the temple, earthquakes raging across the forest as they locked onto their target, ever prepared to send a life tumbling into oblivion and a soul spiraling into hell. Mihawk kept his footing, and Yoru did not know hesitation as it pierced the darkness, the tremors, and the world itself to soar for Blackbeard. The hungry shadows underfoot quaked and hissed and desperately grappled for something to pull into its unforgiving depths, from where nothing will ever emerge alive, yet the swordsman did not waver, because in this situation, he knew that one simple millisecond of indecision and he won't live to see his pupil snatch the title from his hands. The black blade, now adopting a purple hue as Haki poured into the sword to send the living darkness recoiling and running back the way it came, cut through the air with mastery beyond the comprehension of any and all with the aim to kill. However, such darkness did not shrink away, but came at Yoru like a snake launching itself at the unfortunate chosen quarry, the tendrils forcefully wrapped around the Haki-imbued metal, seemed to writhe in unfathomable agony, and held on.

Almost immediately the realization came to him. Mihawk knew in that moment that if he kept going with this thrust, Blackbeard will suffer, darkness and all, but he himself will be welcoming in no better fate.

As an inhuman roar subsided, as demons and demons clashed, as night invited darkness to a dance to the death, the World's Greatest Swordsman threw himself into the waiting arms of a black hole…

And blood splattered.

* * *

As the blood of Dracule Mihawk exploded into the air, falling with the raindrops into the awaiting abyss below, the temple rumbled, and then snarled, and finally, shadows that went beyond even the abilities of the Yami Yami no mi rose to the surface.

The Strawhats, excluding the captain, swordsman, and archeologist, were shoved backwards by a force greater than they could reckon with, slamming into tree trunks and boulders. As they flew, the cook wrapped his arms around the navigator and shielded a weaker body with his own, the tentative skin that had finally formed over his injury straining as his back crashed into the rough surface of a thousand-year-old redwood, bringing blood into his mouth, though with gritted teeth he swallowed it again.

He didn't need to add to the chaos of the situation, especially now, with the crew separated by a wall of night and the shipwright, musician, and doctor unconscious or rendered immobile on the ground. Once he too had landed on the grass, the cook gently set down the girl and watched her scramble to her feet, something genuine and unreadable in her eyes, before turning together to an abyss of swirling black that would remain fresh in their memory for years to come.

It has received its offering, and now it was ready to bring the world to ruin.


	28. Loving Anguish

_I'm a good person I swe- oh who am I kidding I'm a horribly person and I'm so sorry this chapter is why the story is rated M oh god. I swear to God Usopp it's gonna get better please trust me._

 **Reviews :3**

Victoria Horn _\- Yah about craziness... there's a lot more of that to come (in a good way or not... well that's up to you)_

JMoon _\- I know I'm sorry I'm a sinner I have committed sins but I promise, like promise promise promise you only have to sit through a few more chapters of the suffering. e. Also I have to say I absolutely love love LOVE your reviews they offer me so much that I can work off of and potential improvement I can make to the story :D_

* * *

 _ **Loving Anguish**_

Nico Robin was so, very, deathly afraid.

Never before had she thought that she would live to see that day that Dracule Mihawk fell to his knees.

Once again, she could not have been more wrong.

What had just taken place went beyond her wildest imaginations, left her sanity behind as it slammed into her with all the force it could gather. A thunderous crash had boomed across the forest as the swordsman ran his blade into a black hole without a sliver of doubt on his experienced features, for a few moments after it was as if time itself had frozen in shock due to the echo still rippling above the trees, scattering the clouds above and momentarily pausing the rainstorm. A scream had followed.

It was a scream so absolute that the bellows of Zoro and Noroi paled in comparison, a sound so wild that the bravest and most savage of animals whimpered and scampered away with their tails between their legs. And the darkness began to disperse.

Clouds of shadows and complete, utter blackness had started to float away into the clouds, joining their colleagues as the rain started to pour once more. When at last vision returned to the clearing, no one could process what signals their eyes sent to their brain, could not understand the image that they supposedly perceived, did not _want_ to believe that Dracule Mihawk, a myth, a legend, one who had fought squarely with a Yonko, now lay on the roof of the temple, Yoru clattered on the stone beside him, with blood glistening on his skin, a chest rising and falling as a body strained for air. For the first time since Sabaody Archipelago, the Strawhats were greeted with an old friend: sheer, absolute fear.

That wasn't it.

Next to the swordsman had been the source of that unearthly scream, and terror once again wrapped tight around the hearts of the now infamous pirate crew. Mihawk was not the only one that had taken the brunt of an earth-shattering attack.

Blackbeard did not move, not a muscle. Through the darkness a blade worthy of Gods had slammed into his chest, blood spiraling into the air and splashing onto the skin and face of his foe, adding to those ripped out of the swordsman's veins by the unending darkness.

So fear was hers, the strangely familiar feeling sending her heart thundering so wildly in her chest that she thought it might explode. In a vain attempt to soothe it, she cast her eyes upward and prayed to the sky, which still dumped rain down onto the clearing, filling her mouth and eyes as she searched, desperately, for some high and mighty that reside above the layers and layers of thunderclouds who may provide the help that they needed so, very much, something that may saved them from complete, utter destruction. Robin was aware that Zoro had somehow felt her horror, that he became a whirlwind of rage and torment and lifted his blade time and time again to bring catastrophic assaults down on a monster of his childhood one after another. She also knew that everything he is doing is for a future that they had dreamed about together for a few simple seconds, on that night when they had stood under the same umbrella and existed in a world that their very essences had intertwined to build. Everything he had done, is doing, is to make that impossible dream a reality, however grueling or strenuous the road ahead may be.

Her heart and soul screamed, not only because of how horribly, deathly afraid she was, not only because of the anguish in her heart that threatened to overwhelm her, not only because of the living hell that the forest around her had evolved into, but also because she was crying out to the Gods, asking them, _begging_ them to let her have a future that she had dreamed of night after night in the darkness and sorrow and despair, had dreamed of even before she met the man that changed her life. In her eyes, filled with woe and misery, Nico Robin begged anyone, any _thing_ , to grant the one wish that she had never let go of.

In her trance of dread, the archeologist did not take note of the whisper of a ghostly spirit that hovered above them all. It was no God, nor was it a member of the supernatural capable of granting even the most impractical wishes, but a simple girl. A girl that felt every note of desperation in another woman's soul, one that also watched, helpless, as the man of her affections dragged his mangled body into an offensive position and faced off against a foe that suddenly seemed infinitely stronger than he was.

* * *

The Princess was not sure when such a feeling for an unfeeling man had entered her life, she wasn't even sure if such a warm feeling is possible for someone who is in part a ghost entity, the very beings that represent the frightening and icy things in the world, to feel. Now she's never told anyone, but perhaps the reason that she fell in love with all that's cute and cuddly around her is that they are supposed to be her opposite. At a very young age she had consumed that Devil Fruit, and since then had her life shoved onto a roller coaster, spinning and falling and tumbling head over toes as she struggled to maintain control over it. Her personality had changed drastically, from a fun-loving child to one that felt a unique attraction to anything dark and forbidden, anything gloomy and scary. After that accidental fruit, she had been turned into something that would be expected of a ghost girl, and it was also when everyone started looking at her with fear and disdain in their eyes, unmasked and displayed publicly for her to see. Back then, she was still a toddler, at the very age when love was vital to her emotional growth, but she had been deprived of it, with only anguish as a replacement... Then she had met that baby bear.

He reminded her that there are still good things in the world. Innocent things to whom it does not matter whether she is a ghost or not, and for the first time she had loved "cute". Something "cute" is something "innocent", and something "innocent" is something that will accept her, something that magnificently counters her supposed purpose with their "cute". So the Ghost Princess had grown up with cute things governing every aspect of her life: she dressed cute, spoke in a cute way, surrounded herself with creatures that she considered cute, and eventually developed a near obsession with them. It continued well into adulthood and has not changed a single bit since she was thrown onto Hawkeye's island and forced to live with him for two years, along with that stupid swordsman who can't take in the simplest of directions. However, she supposed that what has changed is her perception of the concept "cute". One day, she had suddenly found herself thinking about Hawkeyes as "cute", in a serious, sarcastic sort of way. At first it had bothered her, for Perona could not figure out why this feeling was so overwhelmingly strong, why she felt sad and scared whenever they came back from a long day of training and he would have whispers of exhaustion lining his features while she felt nothing at the abundance of bruises and cuts that would cover the other one from head to toe. Though what bothered her most was the fact that she couldn't figure out exactly _when_ it had started, one day it just did, and she couldn't pinpoint the exact second that it clicked into place. Perona also discovered a part of herself cowering from the idea, as if afraid that he would remain an unfeeling man, _because_ she was afraid that he would remain an unfeeling man.

Now she floated above a blood-splattered glade, much too acutely aware of the fact that her real self is sitting, completely unprotected, in a random hollow in some tree somewhere in the forest. She will not deny the fact that when she saw him boarding the raft, she had nearly begged him to take her along, for some part of her, perhaps the most spiritual, had told her that it was much too possible that he won't be coming home. The whole way she had prayed and hoped and prayed some more that it was just paranoia, that such a feeling did not, _could_ not, mean anything for this man. After all, he is the greatest swordsman that the world has ever known! But the fear had lingered, so she did too. Many a time she had left herself in a tree and spied on him with her powers, always trying to make sure that he isn't in any direct line of fire, though if he was, Perona didn't know if she could have done anything, for if someone is strong enough to put Hawkeyes at risk, then what can she, a girl with a strange Devil Fruit, do to stop them? Especially if they wielded two themselves.

In the emotions that she felt radiating in waves off of a girl with dark hair that can only be Nico Robin, Perona saw herself, even if she couldn't understand exactly what had prompted the other girl to fall in love with the idiot mosshead. Still, she saw herself in the fear and anguish and dread that layered Robin's essence, the fear for the safety of someone that she wanted a future with. Coincidentally, both swordsmen.

Perona made a mental note to chat with Robin at some point about how insufferable they can get sometimes.

The inhumanly loud clash of blades jolted her back to the present, screaming a reminder that Hawkeyes is currently in more danger than she had ever imagined possible, not to mention in an absolutely horrible condition that ripped her heart from its rightful place and jostled it around like a cat playing with a horrified mouse before going in for the kill. She looked down at the clearing, her heart in her throat, and watched Hawkeyes drag himself up from the ground, Yoru clasped in both hands, and faced someone whom he had made suffer, darkness and all.

When they struck, thunder boomed, as if on cue, and the new darkness that had risen from the temple detonated, bursting across the forest as night and darkness challenged each other to a rematch to resolve the tie that resulted last time. Everything silenced.

In slow motion Perona comprehended the events that followed.

* * *

Robin felt the darkness hit her straight in the chest, finally throwing her off her feet and smashing onto the rocky terrain underfoot. The silence that followed was not silent, but the loudest thing that she has ever heard.

Everything slowed down to the point that she would have been able to see a bullet whiz by and do a complete and thorough inspection of it before it passed her, yet the duels between legends managed to continue as if nothing had happened, despite the very same deceleration restricting their movements to a pace more sluggish than would be underwater. Struggling against the incredible force, Robin stood, her body moving at a snail's pace as she wrestled with the shadows in an attempt to see what's happening between Zoro and Noroi. When she looked up, their blades had clashed, and she felt the tremor even through the watery haze that the temple had cast over their surroundings, and suddenly a sickening feeling wrapped itself around her as she finally noted the fact that Noroi had the Wado Ichimonji grasped in his left hand and his renowned cursed blade in his right. Just when she thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, her brain finally processed that even after who knows how long, Zoro still does not have possession of his white blade, and is therefore handicapped further in a fight with someone who has now gained a frighteningly unfair advantage above him.

Robin watched as Zoro took a dive to the side to escape a calamitous thrust aiming for his throat, following up with a kick to Noroi's head, who, unsurprisingly, dodged effortlessly. However, Zoro wasn't done, and following the momentum granted by the kick, the Pirate Hunter spun gracefully in the air, his robe flaring and hair ruffling from the force of the movement, the motion made ever more beautiful by the deceleration currently consuming the entirety of the woods. After the spin, Shusui split the air and shot for Noroi's shoulder, seemingly fast as lightning even at the funeral pace that it adopted as it moved through the air. The blade did not find its mark, which, for strange reasons, did not surprised her, but what happened next did, and will remain forever engraved into her mind.

Noroi, in order to avoid the thrust, took a flying leap into the air, his left hand, still wielding the Ichimonji, reaching out towards something invisible to her eyes, and when it came down, it was as if the swordsman had suddenly been miraculously granted the devastating powers of the Yami Yami no mi. Coils of darkness trailed the blade that was meant to preserve harmony, and Robin could only watch, for even if she had the strength and speed to do so, the distance was much too vast for her to get there in time to protect what, _who_ she wanted to, helpless as Zoro replicated the actions of his mentor and charged, fearless, straight into the darkness, katanas at the ready, moving through the monsters and horrors that dwelled within to reach his target. As the seconds wore on and Zoro's katanas pierced the unending shadows, Robin's heart became withered, anguish taking its rightful place as her closest companion, as the blade made contact with flesh and darkness wrapped like a serpent around Zoro's body before scattering, the excruciating pain in her chest telling her that as it turned tail and ran, it shredded apart some aspect of Zoro's soul, taking the bravery and honor and love to a place where sunlight cannot reach and darkness is eternal, where happiness did not exist and tears drowned all other emotions.

Thunder crashed across the sky, the rain returning in a downpour that soaked all of them to the bone, the water so much colder than nature should have been able to whip up, and the clashing of blades once again became the only sound in the clearing, a deranged song that the raindrops harmonized to. Hard to imagine that just last night, she had stood in the rain, this very same substance, on the deck of the Sunny, feeling like the happiest girl in the world, next to someone so wonderfully beautiful, perhaps in a different way that many others may perceive "beautiful". Now it was taking on the air of a war drum, thudding rhythmically on the roof of the temple, the ground, the trees, raising an outcry against the wretched darkness as it stole away a piece of a swordsman's soul, as it left everyone in the clearing an empty shell, whizzing away into the sky and seeping back into the ancient cracks of the temple as if nothing had occurred at all. The fighting did not cease.

A clash of blades and a bloodied hiss snatched her attention away from the retreating darkness and to the horrors at hand. On the temple roof running red with the blood of legends, Zoro and Noroi clashed once again, the tips of the blades connecting in a shower of sparks, which cleared to show that the swordsmen have switched places, with Zoro now positioned on the left and Noroi on the right with death in his eyes. When they charged again, they did not separate for long moments.

Noroi's cursed blade swooped in from the side, clashing with its successor and sending the clearing vibrating with shockwaves, though before the first of which had faded, Shusui was already cutting through the air, searching for, with a hint of desperation, a loophole that will allow blood to stain its sacred blade. Just barely, the Wado Ichimonji fell to Noroi's side and metal smashed against metal. Even from where she was, Robin could see the vibrations snaking up Zoro's arm and loosening his grip on the blade, and she saw with strangely clear precision his knuckles flush a ghostly white as his grasp tightened, perhaps fearfully, on the handle. The Ichimonji, wielded in the hands of one that it did not wish to serve, was forced to forget mercy on its rightful master and soared towards the swordsman that had trained with it from the meer age of nine, after it had stopped his blade from reaching his foe, cutting through his defenses as rain slid down its blade, as if the very soul of the katana was crying for the man that it loved and respect.

Blood flew, and the Wado Ichimonji was stained a ghastly red with the blood of one who loved it the way he loved a childhood friend.

Robin heard her own hoarse cry echoing around the clearing, yet she felt rooted to the ground as his most prized possession entered under Zoro's rib cage and emerged on the other side, the blood falling like tears from the gleaming metal. His eye widened, but he did not hesitate, and she saw her swordsman shed a single tear before the Sandai Kitetsu descended upon the Ichimonji, its wielder not holding back an inch of his strength, and accompanying the nauseating sound of metal grating against metal, split a long, thin crack down the length of a beloved blade. The Ichimonji moaned in the rain, the unfeeling drops already cleansing the white blade of the blood that lingered on its edges, as if in relief. The metal quivered, droplets of water sliding down every inch of the katana as it seemed to weep tears of joy, for at the same moment that the crack appeared, Wakazumi Noroi uttered the most horrid cry of the darkest hatred and wrenched the sword out of his enemy's flesh, and the Ichimonji ceased in bringing death to its lord and friend.

For the first time, Robin truly understood. All katanas have a soul, and this one loved Zoro with every inch of it.

* * *

Perona did not have time to understand before a darkness that slowed down time engulfed the clearing, everything, including herself, lost the ability to move at a normal pace, as if the mind and soul of their surroundings were whisked away to a faraway place and only left shadows to control an empty body. Directly in her line of sight was a man that she adored, blood still plastering his sodden hair to his face, the pair of penetrating hawk eyes peeking out from underneath the black and tangled mess. Yoru's blade quivered slightly, mirroring a white blade as its soul shed lamenting tears for a respected, though perhaps cold-hearted, master. Opposite them, someone dangerous stirred, then started rising, the jewels that adorned his fingers reflecting light that came from deep within that darkness, somewhere that is invisible to the naked eye. As Blackbeard clambered onto his feet, clumsy and unbalanced, blood darkening his skin, the Ghost Princess saw in him something that had her ghostly form shuddering, the holographic figure shimmering in and out as her concentration wavered, fear clouding the mind of a creature of fear.

In his eyes, Perona did not see death, no, death does not scare her, she is the embodiment of the spirit realm and negativity, no, she saw torture, not just any torture, but torture that comes from the hands of a master, of someone destined to bring agony to the world, someone that lives to hear the screams of his victims and feel the sticky sensation of blood on their hands. In Marshall D. Teach's eyes, a girl saw the image of her man tied to a wooden cross, not an inch of him left bare of injuries. This was torture by a man that did not know honor, for the swordsman's back was ravaged beyond recognition, every centimeter of it ripped open and wrecked by layers upon layers of flesh that was split open by a iron-spiked whip, and the blood was a waterfall that cascaded down this unspeakable background, falling in great clumps to the dark grass below, a trickle already thickening into a stream. Despair captured her heart, and Perona reached out by instinct, then realized that her hands were chained by the darkness, and that while the others could move, though so, very slowly, she couldn't. Not at all.

Perhaps it was because the darkness recognized itself in her, perhaps it was some other twisted and corrupt reason, but she couldn't move, and when the vision of Blackbeard's desire dissipated into nothingness and turned tail to rejoin the darkness, she knew that though perhaps that exact scene will not take place, there was no way for her to prevent something similar. So bracing herself, she watched them clash together in a cascade of sparks that seem far too bright in this eternal night.

Yoru slipped in between the cracks of Blackbeard's fingers, aiming with frightening precision as it craftily avoided all defenses that the other threw its way and sent its tip closer and closer to a chest already slick and almost shining with blood, and for a moment, Perona mentally slapped herself for feeling such fear. This was Dracule Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, someone who can sent members of a Yonko's crew trembling and fleeing for cover, how unreasonable was it to think that someone can outdo him so extremely? Yet once again, her fears were confirmed, and just before it touched flesh, Yoru halted, as if suddenly chain down the way she was, and when she looked harder, dread only buried deeper into her soul, for holding a haki imbued tip of a Saijou Oowaza-mono blade, were nothing but glamoured fingers.

The infamous hawk eyes narrowed, seeming to assess the situation in milliseconds, and before the fingers have even fully closed on the sword, the swordsman leapt, releasing Yoru from his grip, and flew onto the hilt of the black blade, from where he once again jumped into the air, the altitude of which remaining true to the animal that he had been named after. From there, his hand reached out to lay on the world's sharpest blade, supporting his entire body weight as he spun beautifully and kicked out at his opponent, the speed almost normal in the swirling abyss of slowness, telling Perona that if time had flowed normally, it wouldn't have taken more than a second. The perfectly coordinated attack did not miss its mark this time, and Blackbeard staggered backwards as the force of the kick sent the darkness around them momentarily cowering away, returning time to its normal speed for no longer than the blink of an eye before the endless shadows returned and slowed his ungraceful fall enough for him to regain his footing. However, he had long released Yoru from the grip of his fingers, and when Perona's eyes darted back to Mihawk, he had in his hand, cut by the very same sword, the black blade.

His eyes were intense, the yellow rings empty and emotionless as they stared down a worthy yet hated opponent, who reached out his hand to bring destruction upon the clearing. At the very same moment that they moved, the darkness shrieked, sending Perona's brain vibrating from the impact, but it wasn't until she involuntarily put her hands up to block the sound that she realized the fact that she could now move. Then the darkness began to run, pushing and shoving as they tried to escape from something terrifying enough to send something a million times worse than fear and death fleeing for its life. As a spirit, Perona felt herself being dragged away, the darkness attempting to lure her into the afterlife as it fled, determined to take something from everyone before it makes its dramatic exit. Somehow she held on, kept the thought of Mihawk securely strapped to her mind and stayed, despite the feeling that her very essence, the thing that still marks her as human, is being ripped apart right in front of her eyes. When the darkness cleared and she dared to look once more, a hurricane of strikes and attacks greeted her, nearly tearing away the parts of her that weren't already taken by the darkness. Through the whirlwind, she could only make out semblances of strikes: one from Hawkeyes that stabbed into the darkness; an ear-splitting rumble from the earth as Blackbeard utilized the powers of the most powerful Paramecia and sent it spiking for the swordsman; Yoru snaking through defenses and slamming into the flesh under Blackbeard's arm; clawed darkness wrapping around Mihawk's throat, refusing to be outdone…

The harder she looked, the harder it became to see, and Perona was one thought away from moving closer when demons burst out of their skins and reigned over the clearing. Great bursts of light hurtled into the sky, separating into two distinctive beams as they went: one an almost repulsive shade of green with strands of purple mixed within, the other a mad and deranged black so black that it appeared to be the red of blood. In the midst of all that stood two figures, both bathed in light among the rain and floating in midair, the terrifyingly wonderful structures around them providing a stable place for them to stand. Yet it was what the structures were that truly planted panic into the Strawhat crew and herself, for they were monstrosities, the worst mutations of a species that the mind can conjure, of two animals that are as different as the night is from the day.

In the sky, still heavy with clouds, the rain never ceasing, a great white shark and a king cobra faced off against one another, each the stuff of utter and absolute horror, the savages that would only appear in the worst of the worst of nightmares.

* * *

Hatred blinded him.

This man, this _snake_ , had forced him into destroying his most prized possession, had forced him to dishonor Kuina's name by bringing harm to the one thing that still held her soul and kept her story alive. The sickening sound and the spider net crack haunted him, as he knew it will for many nights to come. That is, if he survives this.

The shark encased him, and he saw its demonic red eyes, hungry for prey, and the teeth sharper than Yoru's blade, dripping with freshly shed blood. Opposite him was a man that could have no better representation, though some part of him had always known that this fight would not last long. In fact, there wouldn't be a fight at all.

All of this? This is just a distraction.

It had been perhaps two seconds after they had soured into the sky after one another, the demons within finally shredding apart their defenses and exploding out of their bodies, when he saw Noroi's smile even from behind the auras that now governed their souls and minds, only confirming that this man would not fight him head on, instead, he would find a way to cause as much suffering as he could possibly muster. So Noroi had smiled, and Zoro watched as the king cobra turned in one fluid motion and soared, its gigantic tail whipping the air behind it, for Nico Robin.

* * *

When the cobra came towards her, Robin heard his cry, full of hatred and torment and anguish and love, not so much with her ears then with her heart, in which cracks widened and threatened to split it in half.

" _I'm only going to break your heart."_

So she opened her mouth and gave a cry of her own, except this one contained love and only love.

Pure, eternal love.

* * *

 _Enter the Ghost Princess and the demons within._


	29. Shattered Glass

_Hello minna :D I'm updating a bit early this week cuz I'll be gone during the weekend 3_

 **Reviews :3**

Victoria Horn _\- I know I love them too (I swear I do I know it seems like I don't) I promise they'll be happy soon, very very soon just a few more weeks and you'll be greeted by another chapter of fluff just hang out a bit longer ;-; (btw I'm so glad you enjoy it :D)_

 _p.s. if you don't want to ruin your holiday season maybe don't read the next two chapters until like... idk, februrary_

* * *

 _ **Shattered Glass**_

Saga's heartbeat was storm of its own in his ear as he sprinted through the trees, leaping over fallen tree trunks and ducking under snaking vines as instinct urged him on, telling him that someone is in danger, many someones are in danger, and that he cares too much to leave them be. Deep within, ever since that impulse first started stirring, he knew exactly who it was, but perhaps he did not want to admit it, nor can he afford to until he arrived at the scene, for the moment that he does guilt will consume him and leave him a completely immobile mess in the rain.

The last time he saw his friend he had been in a horrible state, with all but his back engulfed in injuries, so Saga had spent every waking moment afterwards honing his muscles and finding the most effective ways to call upon the powers of the Fruit of Life that now lies in his possession. This is a unique Devil Fruit, considered one of the rarest as the parallel of a mythical Zoan or a Logia such as the Yami Yami. In some ways it resembled the Ope Ope in its power to sacrifice and bring life to a body whose soul has left to join the heavens, while in others it was similar to the Soru Soru in its ability to reach out to one's essence. However, the user does not need to perish in order to reanimate, and when the phantom hand reaches out to a soul, it is only ever to sever it. This is a fruit that has mastered the circle of life and inserted itself into the mix, gaining complete and absolute sovereignty over all life forms, granting its user the ultimate power over life and death. Strangely enough, Saga was also gifted a vision upon consuming the strange fruit, demonstrating to him the phenomenal power of the "awakening".

The vision had been both morbid and beautiful.

It was an army, one of such a massive scale that some savage part of him longed to control it, to have all the power in the world grasped securely in his palms. He had admired it, drank it in, let that beast within drool and its stomach rumble, straining against its leash as it pounced and reached for such sweet, wonderful power, controlled solely by its lust to kill. Then there was this tug, this sudden compulsion, perhaps closer to an irresistible force, that stirred within his mind, and suddenly he wished death upon every single person in this armada before him.

Die they did.

The death was swift and eerily silent, not a single scream of pain or cry of fear before every last soldier in the army dropped to the ground and withered away into nothingness before his very eyes, and what horrified him most was that he _wasn't_ horrified. No, not a single ounce of guilt found its way inside his mind, in which he only found strange satisfaction. Some demonic smile tugged at his lips, and Saga felt a breeze stained with the metallic tang of blood and repulsive odor of death ruffle his silver white hair before the vision abruptly ended, leaving him confused and disgusted at the new aspect that he had just invited, though unintentionally, into his life. But he had learned to wield it, as all Devil Fruit users have to when they swallow the first bite of their fruit, and had found that life was really the most fragile thing in the world. One thought, and poof, one down.

Now he raced through the redwoods, the thunderstorm plastering his hair to his face and obscuring his vision, in which silver strands danced. Water slid down his cheeks, though he didn't know when he had started crying.

* * *

Luffy faced off against the one that had torn his childhood apart right in front of his eyes, wiping out his brother as if he had been nothing but a pawn that had lost its use, and to Akainu, perhaps that's all he ever was. Luffy still had nightmares, when he would see the fist protruding from Ace's body, the beads scattering like drops of blood, the sound impossibly loud, and the vivre card that he valued for so long burning away to nothing right under his nose, and he was powerless to stop it, any of it. Now he faced that man, and vengeance was his life blood.

"Gear Third."

His fist pumped to life by his lips, and with a simple thought it shone through the sheet of the rain, covered from fingertips to elbow in well-trained, glimmering Haki. Under normal circumstances, his crew probably would have held him back, but right now, they weren't here, though he doubted they would do anything to stop him even if they were. This man had, either directly or indirectly, horribly injured or killed two of the most important people in his life, and Akainu will not walk away unscathed from this fight.

Now inflated to the size of a medium sized barn house, Luffy gathered strength into his arms and threw it back, the fist crashing through trees and rocks, small animals unfortunate enough to be in its path ricocheting off into the distance. However, Akainu did not seem troubled at all by coming onslaught, instead just stood there, the only indication of his readiness for battle was the light layer of steaming red that had encased his body.

"Gomu Gomu no Rocket."

Though he remained stoic and completely devoid of emotion, even the Fleet Admiral seemed caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor. In one fluid motion Luffy flew into the air, momentarily passing through a darkness that he would later learn to be Noroi's serpent, and stayed suspended in the air for no more than two seconds, but it was more than enough time than he needed, and it didn't take him very long to whip out the real deal.

"Gomu Gomu no Thor Elephant Gun!"

Electricity hummed to life on his fist, lending a polished look to the fist already glinting with the purple hue that the Color of Arms was so renown for. Blue white lines zapped around on the rubber, giving Luffy the slightly itchy feeling that he had become familiar with when using this technique, for though electricity does not affect rubber, it does put some strain on the material.

The fist zoomed through the air to land upon the Admiral, who finally looked up to meet Luffy's eyes before magma exploded, and when the fist smashed into the ground where Akainu had been standing moments before, it met the electricity head on, creating an explosion that rocked the very island. Without hesitation, Luffy gave a great heave that brought his arm spiraling back into the body, snapping back into place with so much force that it sent him spiraling briefly in the air before resuming his fall. Quickly recovering, the rubber boy threw back his arm again into the sky dimmed by layer upon layer of thunderclouds.

"Gomu Gomu no-"

Before he had the chance to launch the attack, something came his way, something blinding and red hot that came straight at his face, giving him the impression that it was going to straight up melt the very substance that made up his body after the digestion of the Devil Fruit. Hissing in annoyance and slight fear, Luffy launched his arm into the awaiting flames in a blind shot, hoping that it would make contact. With quite a dull yet satisfying "thud", it did, and he heard a growl of annoyance that nearly mirrored his own. However, the flames had burned through the rubber that now made up his arm, and the pain scorched through him as the lava finally retreated to reveal its wielder, now slightly flustered, with his cap fallen off and the marine jacket no longer upon his proud shoulders. The enemy's lips were drawn back in a snarl, and Luffy's arm cracked back into place, the unprotected upper arm now a blistering, melted mess, though his coated fist and forearm, now deflated, remained well enough, hanging limply at his side.

Akainu had blood hanging from the corners of his lips, and his torso where the fist had landed was a bruised and swollen mass of flesh, but by the looks of it, he was much better off in terms of damage. However, that was the beauty of attacks on a such a massive scale: most of the damage is not done to the opponent's physical being, but to their organs and innards, which significantly decreases their fight. Not long passed before the two engaged each other in a whirlwind of punches and Haki and scorching flames.

Luffy's fist was the first to make contact, though very brief and not having done any harm, for it ran head first into Akainu's fist, completely enveloped in lava. Having learned from the last mistake he made, Luffy had encased both of his arms in Haki and was now drawing back the other to land another punch. The rubber stretched and stretched, reached its limit, and rebounded with enough force to flatten a building. The Fleet Admiral, far more experienced on the battlefield, dodged without much trouble and began his counter attack. From all sides flames came at the Straw Hat captain, quickly blocking off all retreating paths and only leaving one option: face Akainu's wrath head on. Luffy, being Luffy, accepted the challenge immediately, not that he was going to do anything different if Akainu hadn't forced the choice upon him. With a sound that can only be described as a howl, Luffy flung himself at his foe, Haki coating most of his body as a defense against the flames. The last time they had fought, it hadn't taken very long for Akainu to emerge victorious, but not this time. This time, Luffy wasn't going to hold anything back.

"Gear Fourth."

Shockwaves rippled across the clearing as Luffy took his arm in his teeth and bit down, rapidly inflating himself to unreal proportions and throwing the entirety of his newfound weight at Akainu through the smoke and magma, which had been obscuring the view of his enemy.

"Gomu Gomu no Rhino Schneider."

Having compressed his feet into his significantly enlarged legs, Luffy let loose a devastating kick into the place where he had last seen Akainu standing. With the pressure that normally accompanies the landing of such an attack, the hit landed, only to be rebounded and send Luffy skittering and tumbling head over heels backwards, left to try and regain his balance as his ridiculous proportions rendered him unable to stand still for any length of time. When the smoke cleared, he saw that Akainu had somehow repelled his attack with the Admiral's own haki, though not entirely, for the kick had been solid, and the magma man now stood directly in front of the temple wall, hair disheveled with blood and eyes in flames, fury painted clearly into his face. Still trying to stop his aimless tumbling, Luffy didn't have much time to counterattack or even defend when Akainu finally initiated his attack.

What seemed like an entire volcano-full of lava sprang from the Admiral's hands and lunged for Luffy, steam rolling off in waves and the grass underfoot sizzling in its wake. Determined and slightly desperate, Luffy channeled Armament Haki into every inch of his body and awaited the coming onslaught, taking the crackling mass head on. In a moment, his body was engulfed in the sea of flames, the heat battering his Haki and wearing it away bit by bit as he fought and struggled his way to his opponent, his arm staying behind to ensure that something _will_ be awaiting the Admiral when Luffy gets through all that magma, and it won't be something very pleasant. The steam from Gear Fourth mixed with that of the magma, and Luffy finally found himself on the other side, staring into the eyes of the one that had stripped him of his brother. A low growl forming in his throat, Luffy rammed his fist, shrunken into his arm like a snake ready to spring, into Akainu's face, exploding outward as it did so and shoving the Admiral straight through the walls of the temple, once again releasing the darkness that had curled up inside and away from a demon on the same crew.

It blasted its way out, instinctively finding its way to the one that knows, the one that now claims them as his minions and that they now consider master, the wall that separated them dissipating and joining its comrades in all their eagerness to obey their twisted lord.

The crew surged forward.

Luffy bounced towards his foe, using the strange body structure to his advantage, preparing to deliver a blow that would hopefully be his final, though he doubted it. Like he had anticipated, Akainu was just one step ahead. Before he could reach his opponent, the Fleet Admiral simply disappeared from his view, and when he realized where the marine had gone, it was too late. A fist made up solely of magma pummeled him from behind, the force driving the air from his lungs and blood flew into the air. His focus wavered, and immediately Luffy could feel the deflation coming on, bring with it the extraordinary exhaustion that accompanies every Gear Fourth transformation. Attempting to bite into his arm and inflate once more, the rubber boy was once again stopped in his tracks when he heard his archaeologist utter the single most horrified scream that he has ever heard, the anguish exceeding his own when Ace had perished in front of his eyes.

His concentration shattered, Luffy felt the deactivation of Gear Fourth in full swing as his body returned to its normal form and his eyes swung to take in what had caused that unearthly sound to escape Robin.

What he saw will haunt him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Usopp might be a coward and a liar, but he wasn't an idiot, and he too heard Robin's hoarse screech. That cowardice didn't allow him to look, but Luffy did. From the absolutely crumbled and shocked and stricken expression on his captain's face, Usopp only kept his eye on his target. Maybe if he didn't look at it, it will go away eventually…

He had his aim trained on the Fleet Admiral, only waiting for the right moment to let the bullet fly and give his friend a hand. Before now, it had appeared as if Luffy had everything under control, but things were starting to go downhill. So the sniper pulled back and released, letting the Pop Green fly, hitting the Admiral just as Luffy turned to deliver one final punch, now only in base form, before Akainu's lava completely overwhelmed his captain.

"LUFFY!"

At his call, Usopp saw Chopper sprinting over in Walk Point from his peripheral vision, the doctor's large eyes glossy with tears as he shoved himself across the ground, his hooves digging into the dirt and creating small craters. His antlers, having grown appreciably larger during the two years that they were apart, rammed full force into Akainu's side, and lava sprayed and Chopper cried out loud as the substance burned through the crisscrossing branches. Usopp, snapped into action, pulled the strings back once more to take aim, letting his ammunition screech through the air and onto the marine. Most of the Pop Greens that snapped at their enemy were quickly burned off their stems and fell to the ground in a charred heap, but where one fell, two quickly took its place, and soon enough, there were enough carnivorous plants to give the Admiral the slightest bit of trouble.

Soon, Brook and Nami had joined them, ice and lightning slicing through fire, much like they had done that day not long ago, only Akainu was considerably weakened this time thanks to Luffy's horrifyingly sacrificial struggles.

There it was again.

Robin's tearstained cries reached them once more, and this time, Usopp allowed himself a peek, seeing only Sanji running for the archaeologist, his cigarette forgotten and hair a mess of blonde tangles, tears circling in his visible eye, hearing only Franky's strangled yell when he was too late to stop it. Then he looked back, once again too afraid to investigate what it was that brought forth tears from one of the few on the crew that always kept his cool, afraid to see what had wrenched the sound from the shipwright and archaeologist. Instead, he turned back to the foe that was so much easier to face than the truth.

When he once again looked into the wrathful eyes of the Fleet Admiral and the forest beyond, Face Planters emerged in millions.

* * *

Robin was somewhat aware of the fact that Luffy now faced off the emotionless Fleet Admiral, and the only thing in her sight was the serpentine nightmare that was Wakazumi Noroi the Wind Cutter. His pale lips were right at her ear, his surprisingly refreshing breath tickling her skin, bringing her back to just the night before, when Zoro had done the same thing and spoke into her ear. However, this time, she wasn't enjoying it. Not. One. Bit.

She was afraid, so unbelievable, deathly afraid, her mouth frozen open in shock, but he didn't strike. At least, not yet. The cobra had encircled her, swallowed her whole, and though it was just a holographic image, it felt real. Too real. Noroi himself was right there next to her, whispering into her ear like he's soothing a cornered animal. What he said however, was perhaps the worst thing she's ever heard.

"One person. One thing."

She heard a crash, followed by the crumbling of stone, and then there was the darkness again, the one that had slowed down time itself. Now here it was, whirling around Noroi like a dog begging for attention from its master. In fact, it seemed to even resemble the shape of a dog, with four blurry shapes that might have indicated legs, and two more blobs that suggested ears. It twirled and swirled, purring and whining as Noroi's face turned sinister, a twisted smile spreading across his deranged yet handsome features.

" _One person. One thing."_

Somehow, her mind, or maybe it was impulse, immediately knew exactly what he was talking about.

 _For no … and no … shall the … unfold_

" _One person. One thing."_

 _For no one and no thing shall the … unfold_

" _One person. One thing."_

 _For no one and no thing shall the truth unfold_

The prophecy lies.

* * *

Then there was blade. Weeping, cracked blade.

Then there was someone. Strong, sturdy someone.

Then there was something on her lips. Warm, soft something.

Then there was blood. Red, splattering blood.

* * *

She screamed, the crew heard her.

She screamed, Usopp didn't dare turn.

She screamed, magma overcame Luffy.

She screamed, Chopper rammed into Akainu.

She screamed, Nami and Brook joined the fight.

She screamed, Franky roared.

She screamed, Sanji ran for her.

She screamed, Saga arrived.

She screamed, Noroi perished.

She screamed, Zoro protected.

* * *

As she watched him fall, everything good in her life: love, happiness, dreams, a future… they shattered.

These things that were so fragile, built with the polished glass her life had finally dared to give her, still so, so breakable…

She felt like a vase, so beautiful yet too frail, pushed off its pedestal to smash onto the ground, the brilliant patterns meeting the concrete and dissolving into powder.

The glass shattered.

* * *

 _Merry Christmas and happy holidays :D_


	30. I Love You

_Warning: Characters may be OOC but I tried_

 **Reviews :3**

JMoon - _Thank you so much! Your support really warms my heart and I just wanna give you a HUGE thank you! If you don't have time don't worry, this story isn't going anywhere :3_

molnarben1212 - _Glad you're enjoying it! Happy holidays!_

Victoria Horn - _I'm so glad that the fights are well written, I haven't done much of them before so it means a lot that you enjoy them so much! Also yay I didn't go OOC with Usopp! I don't really write the other Strawhats too much so I don't really know hehe (heck Zoro and Robin aren't even in character sometimes)_

 _Last chapter of 2018! Can't believe I've been doing this for like six months now 0.o_

 _Thank you all so much for your support and I wish you all the best in the incoming year 3_

 _See you in 2019_

* * *

 _ **I Love You**_

Saga watched his greatest nightmare take form right before his eyes, understanding but not willing to accept the fact that he was too late. Despite all his efforts and sprints through the forest until cramps governed his legs, he was too late. One second too late.

The moment he set foot onto the clearing he saw two holograms dissipate into nothingness, the cobra and the shark simply ceasing to exist and leaving the two swordsman, one with a familiar white blade raised, and the other hurtling wildly towards the woman that was directly in the blade's line of attack. Yet the Wado Ichimonji remained suspended in midair, almost as if it was incapable to landing its attack. As Saga neared, he realized that it was the woman, Nico Robin, that was holding back her attacker, detached arms sprouting from Noroi's shoulders and grabbing his hand in an iron grip, preventing the katana from coming any nearer. But she was tiring, and fast, something about Noroi (which he quickly realized was the darkness currently encompassing the swordmaster) was sucking on her energy, her very life source. He could see that she was doing her best, and more limbs that sprouted around Noroi's neck in an effort to grab it only confirmed his suspicion. However, whatever pressure of power that the darkness was forcing into her body, it suppressed her Devil Fruit just as much as it did her physical strength.

Suddenly, there was a howler from somewhere above, soon cut short, and when Saga looked up, he realized that it was the one that had emerged to take the place of legendary Whitebeard, his exact counterpart: Blackbeard.

The pirate wasn't allowed to finish his call, for the other figure that occupied the rooftop of the temple soon made to shove a sword up his throat, and Blackbeard was forced into facing the World's Greatest Swordsman once again, annoyance and some inkling of fear clouding his eyes when faced with an angered Mihawk, perhaps knowing that if this fight dragged on, he would not be the one to walk away from it.

A rumbling in the forest soon brought Saga back to his surroundings, and he was suddenly confronted with tens upon thousands, maybe even millions, of small, ant-like creatures, swarming him on all sides and threatening to overwhelm his balance, but he wasn't about to be taken out by bugs. Taking advantage of the fact that they're all crowding around him, the closest one to him all making contact with his lower legs, he reached out with his mind, that phantom hand, and easily snuffed out the souls of two dozen or more of these things. Most of the ones that were closer to him dropped dead on the spot, with a few exceptions that, luckily for them, weren't making physical contact with him at the time he triggered that power.

The shock was easy to perceive on their overly squashed faces, and they hesitated, momentarily daunted by the power to kill with thought, though it didn't take them very long to attempt an attack once more. Not having the patience or need to put his full attention on these jokes, Saga simply waded his way through the pool of them that had gather in the clearing, with him at the center, his sight and mind still solely focused on his friend and the girl, the hand never ceasing in its work to kill.

However, despite the fact that they were no threat whatsoever, they did slow him down drastically with sheer number, and with every passing moment, Robin was loosing more of her strength to the darkness, and the katana inched ever closer. When suddenly the hands poofed away into harmless sakura petals, Saga let out a cry, something fearful at first but soon turned enraged and horrified.

The Wado Ichimonji, rainwater still covering it from tip to handle, the crack all too visible on its silver blade, fell towards the archeologist, whose arms were crossed over her head in a vain attempt to protect herself from the merciless metal. At precisely that exact, life-change moment, a creature bit down on Saga's leg, and he tripped, slamming face first into the ground, suddenly unable to do much but watch, his heart filled to the brim with guilt and horror and the most intense sense of worthlessness, as doom descended upon the woman that he knew his friend held in the highest regard. Then suddenly someone was there, and everything… _everything_ , went so, very wrong.

* * *

He was there. Finally, finally, he was there, and he could protect.

" _This isn't what it means to protect."_

Perhaps this was.

" _I want to live!"_

Yes… this was what it means to protect.

As Zoro enclosed Robin within his arms, the Ichimonji descending upon them with phenomenal speed, he knew he wouldn't have time to even turn, much less draw his katanas and wield them, so when he felt the tip brush his back, he accepted his fate with open arms, simply happy that he had given his life to someone worth giving it to.

* * *

A hard wall of muscle slammed into her, strong and familiar arms wrapping around her in a firm yet gentle embrace, and for a moment, Robin allowed herself to think and believe that everything that was happening was simply a nightmare, and that all she needed to do to stop it is to wake herself up right then and there. The moment passed, cruel reality once again weighing down her soul, and when she opened her eyes, she allowed their lips to make contact in one last, desperate moment of deranged yet tranquilizing peace.

It was the shortest second of her life. It felt as if no sooner had their lips touched that a sharp pain erupted near her shoulder, and she pulled back to see something that scarred even deeper than the utter destruction of her home island: the Wado Ichimonji, quivering in shame and despair, protruded from the space just above his right shoulder blade in his neck, the tip just sliding into the skin near her left. As she stood there, stricken and without the necessary control over her vocal cords to speak, she felt gentle pressure on her chest as he pushed her away from the blade, which had begun its journey diagonally across his body. No longer in control of any shape or form, Robin allowed herself to be moved back, and to watch, _stupidly_ blank and motionless, as Zoro's most prized possession carved its way down his body, only stopping when it had reached his left hip, where its current wielder yanked it out, jerking his body forward with the movement, crazed laughter exploding from behind her swordsman, filling her ears with nothing but disturbing madness and satisfaction.

Still rendered completely rooted in her state of overwhelming denial, Robin's eyes traveled up to Zoro's eye, where she found something so tender that once again she thought all was just a nightmare, and that he has finally come to wake her up from it… then… everything around them would fade away to reveal his face, swimming in his eye that same gentleness which he reserved only for her.

Never before has reality been so cruel.

A soft light had replaced the fire that she had become so used to in his singular eye, and in it was nothing but love. Love that he's never been able to properly express. Love that he cherished more than he thought he ever could. Love that became so important that he would gladly lay down his life for it. Love that gave him life. Love that made such a demonic entity… human. Such love sparkled in the gentle green whirlpool, and from that same place tears flowed freely. For the second time that day Robin witnessed her swordsman cry, though this time, he hadn't bothered to restrain the sadness that dominated his spirit and poured, sliding down his cheek in a cascade as he held her gaze steady.

Then Robin had found herself crying, tears of disbelief and denial and despair and misery pouring when he gave her one last glance, and the warmest smile that anyone has ever bestowed upon her. Then Zoro whirled, laid his hands on the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji, plucked it from Noroi's hand like a falcon would pluck a worm from the earth, and plunged the blade up to the hilt into a heart blackened and scorched by decades of hatred, simultaneously wiping the mad smile off as well as placing the most shocked and genuinely horrified expression on the Wind Cutter's face. The look in his eyes clearly conveyed his disbelief and his mind's futile attempts in telling him that this is impossible, because it was possible, and it was happening right in front of her eyes. Blood mixed with rainwater on the blade of the Ichimonji as the tip jutted out from Noroi's back, the fractured blade still quivering, though she could see that this time, it was for sweet, sweet vengeance. The white blade had been stained, not only with the blood of one who knew the Void Century, but also, much more so, with the blood of its dear master. Then the swordsman howled to the sky, his eyes wild with insanity, and mixed within was the black hole of demented joy, coming from the fact that even if he was to leave this world, he has already accomplished his grim and twisted goal.

She found no joy whatsoever in the fact that this man would meet his inevitable death at the hands of Roronoa Zoro… her swordsman.

Her swordsman…

His back was turned, the wound directly in her line of sight, the blood so conspicuous against the backdrop of his now-pale skin, glinting as the sun finally dared to show its face.

" _A scar on his back is a swordsman's humiliation."_

The tether snapped, and it was then that Robin let out that scream, raw with despair and complete, utter hopelessness.

To this day she does not understand where he obtained such sudden strength, how he had turned the tides on the brink of death and taken the enemy down with him, though in the process exhausting the last shreds of anything he had left.

All Robin was left with was the image of his torn back engraved into her mind and that tender smile resting at the edges of her vision, before he swayed, his body no longer able to hold him upright, and plummeted off the side of the cliff where they stood, falling towards the jagged death that awaited just below the water. That was when any and all self control ever gifted or taught to her was forgotten, and she ran, preparing to leap after her swordsman, her foot skidding dangerously over the edge, before another pair of arms locked around her waist, forcibly dragging her away from hurtling to her own doom. A voice sounded next to her ear, one that she found somewhat comforting despite her inability to pinpoint the speaker in her state of crazed distress.

* * *

The cook ran for the archeologist the moment that barrier gave away, a rare moment of vulnerability engulfing him as he watched his rival and crewmate fall, leaving Robin shocked for several moments before some force took ahold of her and she clambered for the place where the shitty marimo had disappeared. Even faster he forced his body to run, the wound, stupid thing should have healed by then, giving him considerable trouble as he waded through the tide of creatures towards someones that he knew the swordsman had wanted to protect. Indeed, they were rivals, but they were also _nakama_ , and when Sanji finally reached the historian, her right foot already airborne off the side of the precipice, he threw his arms around her waist and dragged her back despite her distraught struggles and calls. She shoved at him, kicked, strained, yet still he held firm, and said to her the words that the cook knew his friend never had the chance to say.

He prayed that Zoro could still hear them, for the words were in themselves a silent promise, something telling the first mate that he need not worry about the girl he's leaving behind.

"He didn't give his life for you to throw yours away."

* * *

He did, the last thing that he heard before he closed his eyes, and as he fell, the swordsman smiled.

* * *

No…

No.

No.

 _NO._

Saga's mind seemed to stop functioning as Zoro disappeared off the edge of the cliff, leaving Noroi with the hilt of the Ichimonji projecting outwards from his heart and a lifeless lump on the grass speckled with crimson.

Somewhere within a devastating power was stirring, and red danced in Saga's vision as he stood, death suddenly his only wish to any and all enemies around him. As he regained his footing, he became aware of the small creatures falling one after another, the grass and bushes and all life withering in his wake as he ran, fully conscious and precisely aware of everything around him, and threw himself over the edge of the cliff after his friend. As he fell, droplets of blood flew up to meet him, sliding over his face and blending with his own tears, which had started falling, once again, undetected by him.

Closer. Closer. Closer.

Soon Saga could see the strangely peaceful expression on Zoro's face regardless of the fact that he was on his fall towards heaven. _Protect. Protect. Protect._

Perhaps it was Zoro's influence, or perhaps it was some part of him awaking from a long slumber, or perhaps it was a side effect of whatever was happening with his Devil Fruit, but then and there all he wanted was to keep Zoro from making contact with the rocks that stood proud just beneath the surface of the water, daring anyone to fall upon them so they can send that soul straight into the realm of Hades. They were close. Too close. So close that Saga could see every grain of sand that hid in the cracks and crevices of the rough surface, yet by some miracle, the swordsman hasn't reached it yet, and Saga took the chance to give his order, defiant and deadly, through gritted teeth.

"Die."

The rocks shuddered, as if resisting, then swayed some more, but _nothing_ is an enemy of death when he wills it, and the proud executioners that stood below them soon crumbled into nothing but specks of dust, leaving the water open for a safer, if not softer, landing.

Consecutive splashes echoed throughout the island.

* * *

The moment they reappeared over the edge, Robin remembered that she had a Devil Fruit in her possession, and hands and feet alike sprouted sporadically around them, pushing and shoving at the one that was holding her back, and to her relief, there wasn't much resistance, for madly desperate as she was, she didn't want to hurt any of her friends. Later she would learn that the cook had been too tired to put up any sort of struggle, and that the injury Noroi inflicted a week earlier had been bothering him to the point of needing support from the navigator, who stayed silent during the exchange, though silent tears poured. Back then, Robin did not care. The arms slackened, and she broke out of their confines to half stumble to her swordsman and his silver haired friend, whom she vaguely remembered from their shared encounter with the Wind Cutter and his brief stay aboard the Thousand Sunny two years ago, but that was not what she was worried about, in fact, _nothing_ worried her right now other than the shape stretched out on his side on the grass, his robe in strips, hanging off his body limply, his hair almost brown as opposed to the green that she had grown to love so much, and his back…

His back…

" _A scar on his back is a swordsman's humiliation."_

Her legs stopped providing support the moment she reached his side, and she dropped, her knees crashing into the ground, minuscule rocks and pebbles digging into the exposed skin as she gathered him into her arms, the hunter that had sent prey scattering by simply coming within earshot: the shark, the predator, the acme of the food chain… now the limp form that she cradled with such care. She dared not lay eyes on the injury, though she felt the leaking blood, which her hands soon became slick with as she held him close, praying that his heart still pumped beneath that sturdy chest.

Her hand laid upon his head. His hair, though matted with blood, was still so, very soft, and for the third time that day Robin would have allowed herself to think that everything was simply a nightmare, and that they're still on the deck of the Sunny, and she's explaining to him…

The shudder that barreled down his body as his chest rose snapped her back into reality, and she almost sobbed at the fact that he still breathed. Her hand stroked the side of his face, his brow, as gently as she could muster, yet his eyes remained shut, life slipping away from him too fast and too hard. She brushed back his hair, running a tender hand through the limp strands, hoping against hope that he'll sit up and shoot her one of those looks that result from being woken up from a nap.

He didn't wake.

Robin shook her head, and ran her fingers through his hair once more, and when still he did not open his eye, she brought him close and whispered, a small, hoarse sound: "Someone help him…"

Robin was well aware that the words were inaudible to all except herself and perhaps Zoro, but she said them anyway, repeated them time after time after time so that someone might just hear her, so that some God or Deity might just take pity on her and bring her idiot back to her. But alas, the supernatural are never kind.

* * *

"Robin?"

"I'm here, I'm right here."

"I'm sorry."

"No no, everything's OK, we'll get you back to the ship, Chopper's here too, the Thousand Sunny isn't far. It's OK, everything will be alright, the doctor will get you patched up in no time."

"Robin, you know that's not true."

"Stop talking you idiot, it's going to happen and you know it. Really, the Sunny is close, and Chopper's here… Chopper's here…"

"Robin-"

"I told you to stop talking, you need your strength."

"You once told us you want to live."

"You once said a scar on your back is a shame."

"Some words are worth more."

"Zoro…"

"So live, Robin."

"No, we were going to live together, remember?"

"Find someone better and forget about me."

"Zoro, you're speaking nonsense. I told you, we're going-"

"I love you, Robin."

* * *

That day, his words, even on the brink of death, did not waver.

Firm and strong, just like they always were.

* * *

Perona felt Mihawk's fury more than she saw it, this outward blast of energy that sent even Blackbeard cowering ever so slightly. Something glinted as it slid down the side of the swordsman's face, though whether it was tear or rainwater, she could not say. The trees around them quivered and bowed low as if in submission, and the clouds fled from the heart of the shock, the wave cleaving a path through the sky directly above the master swordsman, yet not a single ray or droplet of sunlight had the nerve to show themselves, as if the sun itself recoiled and trembled in the presence of rage so horrifying.

Then without warning he charged, Yoru held high over his shoulder, the famous hawk eyes fixed on Blackbeard, frighteningly calm, without a hint of all that must be taking place inside his mind, and as he neared his foe, the steadiness was unprecedented. This, Perona knew, was the worst kind of calm you wanted to encounter in someone like Mihawk.

Blackbeard, though wielding two Devil Fruit and maddeningly cocky about it, had the heart of a coward, and faced with the sudden incursion of someone with as high a place and so mythical a legacy, he dropped to the ground, daunted by the air of absolute authority radiating from Dracule Mihawk, and raised his hands, perhaps hoping that his powers will activate automatically in the face of danger and save him. At the sight, Perona was disgusted that such a renowned figure should be the rat of a man that he is, with absolutely nothing redeeming about him, and she found herself fully anticipating the end that this man will meet at the hands of the swordsman. What she didn't know, however, was that once before Mihawk had seen Blackbeard's cowardice in full display, during the legendary war at Marineford, when he had taken on this exact same posture while facing Whitebeard's wrath, and later his proud and standing corpse. Perhaps this memory fueled his rage even further, or perhaps it didn't even cross his mind.

As the blade neared, Perona watched, satisfaction in her heart, as Blackbeard shuffled backwards, still attempting to summon the darkness that allowed him to capture Fire Fist Ace and later send Marineford tumbling into even more chaos then already taking place, though in vain, for at that moment, even a Devil Fruit, made to serve the one that had consumed it, refused to listen to such a weakling. But he was a Yonkou, after all, if unofficially, so maybe she shouldn't have expected him to fall that easily, and had in her loathing forgot one critical aspect regarding this man: he had two.

The power of the Gura Gura no Mi erupted, temporarily halting Mihawk's advances with tremors and fissures that seemed to appear out of thin air under the swordmaster's feet, which he had to leap in order to dodge, though it did nothing to hinder the fierceness of his assault. Soon enough, Yoru was simple millimeters away from Blackbeard's chest, but that was when his rough and hairy hands reached out, clamping around Mihawk's arm, and soon following, at the same moment that the blade pierced his chest, a white light rallied around him in a spherical shape, contracting inhumanly fast before wrapping around its target, where it exploded as if a mini earthquake had just gone off within the swordsman's body with the epicenter in the bones of his left arm. The impact sent him crashing into the floor of the temple, instantly opening long chasms into the rock, and with dull "crack"s, snapping apart bones in a body that was only human.

That had been the last straw.

No longer could Perona simply stand by and watch as the man she loved faced an enemy all alone, so Mini Hollows materialized in the clearing on command and soared towards Blackbeard, rapidly attaching themselves and awaiting the snap of her fingers that would indicate their detonation. Perona did not hesitate before giving the signal.

 _Snap._

 _Boom._

Already crippled by Yoru's penetrating stab, Blackbeard didn't stand a chance against the series of explosions that rocked the temple, sending him tumbling off the building and smashing into the grass below, specks of red flying into the air upon contact, passing straight through her astral projection but splattering onto the man that she now propelled herself towards. Not bothering to assure herself that the enemy was truly unconscious and defeated, Perona rushed to Mihawk, who leaned heavily on the hilt of Yoru (having jerked it out of the adversary's chest as he fell), his breaths coming in short rasps, his body no longer functioning properly from the damage that Blackbeard had done, though his eyes remained as bright as they ever were, the title of "Hawk Eyes" holding true even now. As she neared him, some seed of unease sprouted in her heart: what if he was angry with her for disobeying orders and following him onto a battlefield? What if he still just saw her as a nuisance? What if he won't even let her near him? What if- but they were all just that: empty worries. When she emerged within his sight, the swordsman didn't even seem surprised that the Ghost Girl was present, and when she landed, she thought she might have seen some semblance of a small smile playing on the corners of his lips.

She had to clamp down on her lower lip to keep herself from flinging her arms around him.

* * *

The darkness was listless, disoriented, bewildered. The one that it had so proudly claimed as master had just been wiped from the planet, so what was it to do now? It was becoming restless, even afraid, from its sudden lack of purpose in this world. The one person who was presented the extraordinary gift of knowledge now lays dead with a katana penetrating his heart, and with him dies any and all that possess any understanding at all of what the Void Century had to offer. That knowledge was why it had chosen him, why _history_ has chosen him, why darkness and destruction and justice itself chose him as an ally.

Now he's gone.

It stirred, the confusion and fear doing their work thoroughly, and then it was expanding, going beyond its limit and suddenly feeling like a bomb with the countdown in its last moments. It heaved, whirled, expanded and shrank, much like a pair of lungs would do. Except lungs don't explode.

Every breath brought it closer to wiping out the island, and it found itself waiting eagerly for doom to fall.

Meanwhile, a Ghost Girl regained her physical form and was clambering up the temple to get to the man laying on top. Meanwhile, a desperate lover held her beloved close to her heart and tried to convince herself that everything will turn out OK. Meanwhile, a broken crew stood by and refused to accept the death of Roronoa Zoro.

The moment Perona peeked over the edge and Robin wept for a bright future that has abandoned her, the darkness let loose its full wrath upon the unfortunate island, and the girls, without a single moment of delay, threw themselves onto the men they loved and used their own flesh and bones as a shield.

When it dispersed after what felt like hours, a wasteland stood where a beautiful island once was, and darkness has claimed its final sacrifice.

* * *

Robin woke up hours, or maybe days, later on her bed aboard the Thousand Sunny, opening her eyes to the familiarity of the woman's dorm and the slim figure of a girl sitting besides the bed, evidently taking a nap. At first, logically, the thought to pop into her head was Nami, for what other female would be onboard? However, as things came further into focus in the darkness of the room, she registered the pink hair and strange way of dressing, and it soon occurred to her that this was the young ghost girl that they had met back on the island of Thriller Bark. Gently pushing the covers aside and sitting up, Robin swung her legs over the side, in the process accidentally knocking over a lamp situated on the floor adjacent her bed, waking the Princess, who jolted awake and nearly tumbled off the chair in her state of panic. Normally, Robin supposed that perhaps she would have giggled at bit at the other girl's clumsiness, but right now, reality sat heavy upon her shoulders and silent yet deadly grief weighed down her spirit. If it had been any other girl, maybe they would have been screaming, crying for the love and dream that had just left them in the dark, but not her, for Nico Robin was no ordinary girl. Inevitably, sadness and despair were hers, and she couldn't, nor did she try to, stop the tears that poured the moment Zoro found his way into her mind, but it was OK to cry, she knew as she watched the other girl pick herself up, it's OK.

* * *

They stood by the railing of the Sunny together, had been for the last half an hour, sometimes simply staring into the nothingness nighttime had to offer, and sometimes exchanging soft words regarding the swordsmen. Now the Ghost Princess spoke once more.

"How are you feeling?" It was the first time that Perona had dared mention anything about Robin's emotions and what she must be experiencing, especially now (and she was fairly sure Robin was not aware) that the whereabout of his body remained unknown.

"I don't know…"

Silence.

"Maybe I would have just liked to say goodbye." Perona heard the tears in the archeologist's words, and the girl felt herself starting to sniffle, emotions rising to the surface. "How is he?" The query came a few moments later.

"Resting." Mihawk lay somewhere aboard this ship, Yoru securely by his side, along with his pupil's white blade. "One moment." Turning, Perona padded to the room where he rested and eased open the door, carefully picking her way around the stools and tables to reach his bedside, where the Wado Ichimonji resided. Having first examined and made sure of the fact that his bandagings were nice and secure, she picked it up, and before leaving, Perona glanced one more time at the swordsman's face, filled with calm and tranquility. Then she stepped out, closing the door with a small "click" behind her.

"I thought you might want this." The sheath as white as moonlight laying obediently in her palm, the blade safely contained within, the Ghost Princess handed a treasure transcending all other to the Demon Child, and watched her take it to hold close to her heart.

As she watched Robin cradle the meito as if it were a child, Perona remembered that mental note to discuss with the archeologist just how dumb the swordsmen could be. "They're really annoying sometimes, don't you think?"

Miraculously, Robin seemed to understand her, and though no smile appeared on her features, something bittersweet glinted in her eyes. "Absolutely insufferable."

Satisfied and assured that she has somewhat brought up the other woman's spirits, Perona turned to leave, but before she did, she offered up one last piece of advice. "If there's something you didn't have the chance to say, tell it to the stars, they'll deliver the message." Behind her, there was only the soft quiet of night. "I promise."

* * *

As the girl walked away, Robin looked to the stars and told him what she never had the luxury to say.

 _I love you, Robin._

"I love you too."

* * *

 _I have the sudden feeling that I didn't put enough fluff in this story even though it's like 70,000 words long but rest assured you'll be getting some last minute floof soon ;)_

 _But hey at least it ended on a (sortof) high note!_

 _I know the characters are kind of OOC especially Zoro (with the whole "I love you") and kind of Perona but I tried, I really tried please just bear with me ;-;_


	31. The Heir To My Name

_Ok so things might get a bit OOC here, like I warned last chapter. I read it over again and tried to fix it as much as I could, but I recognize that it's still a bit out of character, but it's kind of hard to get One Piece characters on point, so I hope you understand :)_

 **Reviews :3**

Victoria Horn - _I suppose you'll have to wait and see ;)_

* * *

 _ **The Heir To My Name**_

Now here she is, six months later, life stirring within her womb as she tries her best to remain positive for the sake of their child. But it has been… hard, to say the least. Today is every other day onboard this far into the pregnancy: standing (or more likely sitting) by the railing, a book in her hand (which more often than not she isn't paying attention to and simply serves as a distraction), and remembering him. Being happy right now is hard, especially for someone who does not wish to forget the one that has left them to join with the stars, and when she stands there, her left hand (instinctively at this point) resting upon her growing abdomen, Robin finds herself thinking back to the balcony of Enies Lobby, from her throat coming the four words that gave him the reason to trade his life for hers. At the thought, Robin feels the sorrow again, silent sorrow, one that strikes so frequently that perhaps she should be used to it, but it just keeps coming. It hurts… it hurts so, very much…

There are day when, in her grief, she would think those words were cursed, and that she is entirely at fault for the loss of a swordsman with the most beautiful soul she's ever seen, but today isn't one of those days. Instead, today is simply a day that she wishes to let herself rest and perhaps express some emotions that she may not have been comfortable with showing to the entire crew. A small sea breeze dances by, and Robin feels her hair ruffling from the current.

Too much has happened in the past year that changed everything she has ever believed. Robin won't hesitate in acknowledging the fact that she had almost broke upon learning of the fact that Zoro's body isn't in Strawhat possession, and that it had taken both Nami and Perona to calm her down enough to speak. Perona in particular was a wonderful help in the week that she had spent aboard the ship, for she too knows and understands the feelings tied to swordsmen (both of whom, may she add, produce similar feelings within the two girls and are all too willing to lay down their lives). During that period of time, Robin remembers spending long intervals simply talking with the Ghost Princess, who had stayed due to the fact that she simply refused to allow the journey back to Kuraigana island until Mihawk has at least partially healed, and the archeologist even recalls some inkling of amusement when she occasionally overhears Perona scolding the Greatest Swordsman in the World.

Casting her sight over the large expense of water that makes up the most dangerous ocean in the world, Robin, as usual, finds some welcomed peace in the fact that the entire crew is finally taking a break from their endless voyage, not that she doesn't enjoy it, and docking on a remote island as far from danger as they can get on the Red Line. The moment that Chopper had announced, both excited and in awe, that Robin is pregnant, the crew had simultaneously formed the agreement that they will not be traveling the seas any longer until the child reaches at least one year of age. Robin had been, and still is, grateful beyond words to this amazing group of people, yet sometimes she can't help but feel as if she is weighing them down with her presence, and now the expectancy of a child, one that will surely be traveling with the crew, despite the imminent danger, because Robin refuses to repeat the history that had laid its claws on her. Letting out a small sigh, she reaches up and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly wondering whether the little one would inherit their father's hair, which managed to tug a small, bittersweet giggle from her.

"Which memory is it this time?" The voice of the orange haired navigator brings Robin's eyes in a full circle and behind her, where the feisty girl stands, as if awaiting permission to join her at the rails.

"Just a thought." Robin smiles, which Nami takes, as the archeologist had intended, as an invitation, and pads over to join her under the umbrella that Sanji has so thoughtfully set up for her earlier. "How are they?" Despite the fact that she appreciates and loves every single one of her _nakama_ , Robin has spent the last few days mostly by herself or sometimes speaking with her female comrade. She's not sure what exactly it is, and when she wonders aloud to Nami, the other girl simply waves it aside with a smile as pregnancy mood swings, which is an answer that Robin will take. However, distancing herself does not mean that she does not care, in fact, every time that she converses with Nami, she makes sure to inquire about the other members and how they're doing, especially Luffy. Even though he has been ecstatic at the notion of a new addition to the crew, the archeologist sees right through to the sadness that lingers and resurfaces every time the captain is reminded of the child that belongs to the first mate he lost. In the initial days after Zoro's… d… disappearance, Luffy's soul had been positively crushed, and had seemed at times to be in an even worse place than she was, and rest assured, she was a mess for weeks after the haunting event, her heart shattered into a million pieces. Still, it aches for her captain, for she, along with the crew, knows that this is the second brotherly figure in his life that fate has so cruelly wrenched from his hands, much like how a loyal friend was taken from the lives of them all. At the end of the day, all of them are a little broken.

"They've accepted it, to say the least." The navigator replies after a moment of thought, "but Luffy still needs time, they all do. And you wouldn't believe it, but Sanji-kun is among those hit hardest, though he may not show it."

"I'm not surprised," and that's the truth. Despite their constant bickering and rivalry as well as their apparent disliking for each other, the swordsman the cook did share a bond, something almost brotherly in the fights and name-calling. "We all need time, and right now, perhaps we have all the time we'll need." Nami doesn't say anything in response, just nods and follows Robin's eyes to the end of the horizon. "What about you?" The archeologist wonders after a small pause.

"I'm… I'm…" Without seeing Robin knows that tears now circle in those hazel brown eyes. Beside her, the navigator takes a deep breath and tries again. "I do have to admit, Zoro was annoying at times, especially during his arguments with Sanji, but…" After seeming to grope for something to finish her sentence, Nami finally settles for acknowledging the crew as a whole, including herself in the mix. "We all loved him."

Observant as she is, Robin can't help but notice the abnormality in Nami's speech, or more specifically, the lack of the suffix "kun" after Sanji's name, which the navigator always utilizes to keep the cook in check in case his advances become too much. However, respectful of Nami's personal boundaries, Robin doesn't pry, but nor does she forget about it, and suspects she won't for a long time to come. In fact, some part of her is slightly curious about where this relationship may go. Instead, she simply nods, expressing genuine agreement with the statement, even the part about him being "annoying at times", because yes, Zoro, as much as Robin loves him, _can_ be very infuriating sometimes. Almost immediately she feels the dark shroud around her heart that has become much too familiar at the thought of Zoro, even his imperfections... and she smiles, and the inky cloud lifts, just a bit, for she knows that he would have liked her to stay strong even in the face of his permanent absence.

* * *

Darkness. That's the first thing he remembers.

* * *

 _3 months later..._

As much as they did to cover their tracks, it is never enough, because the marines always seem to have a nose for pirates, picking up their scent wherever they may hide and sending battleship after battleship to their current settlement. Listening to the sounds of her crew fighting to protect the name of Roronoa, Robin does not utter a sound throughout the entire process. It hurt, immensely, and her bottom lip already bleeds from the way she bites on it to keep herself from crying out loud and attracting attention, or, in other words, putting her child and the crew at risk. Around the room, she hears and sometimes sees Chopper scurrying about, some medical equipment usually clutched in his hooves as he moves, quick and efficient, from one station to the next, an expression on his young face that Robin doesn't recognize on the small reindeer. It's mature, experienced, and so evidently beyond his years.

The battle rages on outside, yielding sounds of lightning, lasers, punches and kicks and the occasional clashing of blades that will lift her spirit for a millisecond and then bring it plunging down. Nine months, and still she hopes and prays that perhaps something will happen… In a dark and bitter way, she amuses herself. Suddenly, her body convulses, jerking up at the effort, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut in an attempt to chase off the pain that all too abruptly clouds her mind, her teeth piercing the delicate skin on her lip once more. At that precise moment, since luck has been _so_ kind to her for the entirety of her life, a bullet whizzes towards the door of the medical room, smashing through the glass panel and into the small space, with Robin's sudden movement putting her directly in its line of fire. Outside, Luffy's enraged and panicked yell reverberates through the ship, with the horrified screams of a marine soon following suit, no doubt the unfortunate one who has sealed his destiny the minute he took aim.

For the first time in a long while Robin's survival instincts kick into gear, and hands sprout _on_ the surface of the bullet in an attempt to slow it down with the extra weight, it may have just been what saves her life. The moment that the limbs take form the bullet decelerates the most minuscule fraction, but it gives Chopper just the right amount of time to morph into Kung Fu Point and send it ricocheting away from its initial target and violently colliding with a mirror on the opposite side of the room, the glass shattering into a thousand glittering fragments upon contact. The second that the mirror ceases to exist, the arms on the bullet disappears, and on August 12th, exactly nine months after the death of her father, amongst the glittering pieces flying across the room, sunlight catching on the silver glass and casting the room in a dazzling display of golden light, a child utters her first cry.

* * *

It is dark. It is cold. And he is scared.

* * *

The Sunny will run red today.

Luffy's fist slammed into the face of the marine foolish enough to try and wipe out Zoro's bloodline, sending him flying into the air, unconscious or dead before he even hits the ground. Which one it is, Luffy does not care. His body pumping into Gear Second, he spins to face the rest of the adversaries, the new burns and scars on his body all too noticeable in the much too delightful sunlight. He tries to avoid looking at them as much as possible, for the moment he does the memory will resurface and he has to resort to locking himself away in the crow's nest before he can face his crew again without having a mental breakdown. Fighting now has become instinctive, and he is nothing short of a whirlwind of power that rips through the Sunny, any and all marines in his path falling, soon creating a trail of his aimless destruction. When the battle has finally and clearly come to an end, Usopp has to hold back the rubber boy from pursuing the soldiers of the government onto their own battleships and ripping those apart too.

A rage that the crew isn't accustomed to seeing in their captain is slowly rising, his hidden hatred for the marines having deepened the instant he figured out that they played a major role in the fact that no longer can one hear snoring, or dumbbells, or meaningless bickering and yelling aboard this ship, on which grief reigns over all, weeks and months doing nothing to heal. Under normal circumstances, Luffy knows that he wouldn't have killed (or at least tries not to, since his attacks may be deadly either way), and that he would have remained more calm through the ordeal, but no longer. He knows he can be idiotic, that "baka" is probably the most used nickname for him among his friends, and that those who do not know him often take it as a lack of emotion and understanding of the severity of a situation. Again, they do not know him. Luffy knows each and every one of his crewmates like the back of his hand. He can easily name their favorite and least favorite foods as well as recognize all eight of them in an enormous crowd in less than a minute, and he is confident that they can all do that for each other. Luffy isn't sure if he has ever hated before, even after Blackbeard captured Ace and Akainu brought his life to an end. Only then… he got to say goodbye. This time, he hadn't even been conscious to see him pass.

In Usopp's surprisingly strong grip, Luffy doesn't try to struggle, he knows that it's no use, instead he just stares after the retreating forms of the marine ships with something dark in his eyes. It scares the crew, but he can't help it.

" _She did it!_ " What finally shakes him out of the trance-like fury is Chopper's voice, filled with ecstasy and overflowing joy. At the sound, the Strawhat Pirates whirl in one movement and rush to the entrance of the medical room, with Nami in the lead and Luffy closely in second. However, as they get to the door, the navigator halts so abruptly that Sanji, behind Luffy, has to yank on his captain's collar in order to keep him from ramming into the girl.

"Namiii-" Luffy starts to whine, but is almost immediately shushed by his orange-haired companion, who puts her finger to her mouth and slowly eases open the door, gesturing for the men behind her to _stay, quiet._ Already put in a good mood by what surely has happened (yes he knows, he's not _that_ big of an idiot) and not particularly keen on being yelled at by Nami later on, Luffy, along with the rest of the crew, shuts up obediently and follows the navigator into the room on tiptoes.

* * *

"Be strong, old friend, she needs you."

* * *

To put it lightly, it's a bit of a mess inside the medical room. As Nami steps in, the first thing that greets her is glittering fragments of glass littering the floor, and fear seizes her for a second before her logical self reemerges and mentally slaps her. If Robin had gotten hurt, of course Chopper wouldn't have said "she did it" as happily as he had. Not really caring about the sharp pieces, Nami takes one step into the first cluster... and immediately winces at the explosive series of crackling that resulted, instantly picking her foot up and edging around it, from then on taking care to step on as little glass as possible, the rest of them follow suit… except for Franky and Brook, the former taking one look at the delicacy needed for the job and deciding to stay outside, and the latter volunteering to wait with him. When finally, with extraordinary caution, they make it to Robin's bedside, they are greeted with a sight that brings merriment to the hearts that need it most.

A girl, so very small and delicate yet so strong, lies, wrapped up in layers upon layers of blankets, next to her mother, who has sunken into a deep slumber with a smile resting at the edge of her lips. Perhaps she dreams of a certain swordsman…

Nami smiles, something that softens her fiery eyes and melts her spirit, and feeling a gentle weight-Sanji's hand-on her shoulder, she doesn't push him away, and for once he doesn't make any unnecessary advances. Instead, they stand there, Chopper on the table, Usopp and Luffy next to them, and simply watch the young one keeping herself tucked in, remaining in the position that she had become so accustomed to in the past nine months.

Suddenly Luffy speaks up behind her. "Why is she so wrinkly?" Seconds later the captain sits outside with the shipwright and musician with a huge lump on his head, grumbling that he was just stating the truth and rubbing at the sore skin.

Also no longer trusting Usopp or Sanji to keep their mouth shut and give the mother and child the quiet they need, Nami proceeds to chase them out as well, only leaving herself and the doctor to clean up the room as well as watch over Robin and her newborn. It may very well just be her imagination and wishful thinking, but somehow, in the lines of her face and set of her jaws, Nami thinks that she can already see a bit of both of them in this small bundle of joy.

Some subconscious part of her sends up a promise to the heavens.

 _We'll take care of them._

* * *

"Just three more months, I promise, the process takes at least a year to complete."

…

"Have faith in her."

…

"She's one of the most capable women I've ever met."

He does not say a word.

* * *

"What are you going to name her?" A day later Nami walks into the medical room, where Robin sits, covered up to the waist, the small child held delicately in her arms, having just finished feeding the little one. Yesterday, after Nami and Chopper had finished cleaning up, they left her in peace, dozing off under the covers. After the first hour, the doctor had checked to find her awake and already feeding the child, and then came back every two hours afterwards to ensure their safety and wellbeing as well as help change the small one when necessary, Robin mostly resting on the bed while Chopper bustled around, sometimes in Brain Point and sometimes in Heavy Point.

Now Nami sits at the foot of the bed, her hazel eyes looking Robin up and down, always softening when they come to the small burrito (for she truly resembles one, all wrapped up in blankets) in her arms. Robin knows that she probably has dark bags, quite prominent ones at that, beneath her teal eyes, but she also knows that inside she feels a happiness that hasn't visited ever since that day underneath the small umbrella. Turning her eyes and mind back to Nami, Robin sees that the navigator is still waiting for an answer to her inquiry.

Her name…

The night before, as she fed the child, Robin put much thought into the name of the girl, and almost instantly the story that he once shared with her had come to mind.

" _Her name was Kuina."_

Kuina…

She had looked to the side of her bed, where the Wado Ichimonji sits, quiet and undisturbed, the fracture still running down the length of the blade, for Robin had politely yet sternly refused when Usopp and Franky offered to fix it. She looked at it, took it in, and knew that their daughter's name would include some aspect of the young girl's name, who had meant so much to Zoro.

Then she had thought of her mother, Nico Olvia, who had loved her so much more than she knew, and who had given her life to keep Robin safe, asking Saul to take the young girl and run just moments before the Buster Call went into full swing and the white-haired scholar perished with everything else on the island that knew too much. For the first time in a long while Robin let herself remember the first and last moments that she had spent with her mother, her refusal to to leave, Saul's final promise that there _will_ be people on the sea to love her unconditionally, and her steadfast decision to survive in order to pass on the legacy of Nico Olvia and the beautiful land of Ohara.

Olvia… Kuina…

* * *

 _Another 3 months later..._

Everything is so welcoming, so right, even the newly constructed room that hadn't yet existed when he left them behind fills him with joy, because he knows what resides within. Even if he has yet to meet her, he feels it as clearly as he sees the coming dawn.

Careful to not wake anyone, he eases the door open, made of redwood with a small circular window on the upper middle to let in the sunlight and act as some sort of peephole, and steps inside the unfamiliar room filled with the familiar floral scent, which he stops for a moment to take in, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips, the corner curving below his unopened eye. Before he makes his way over to her, he stops at the crib of his daughter, the little one awake and her eyes alert, potential plainly written in the blue depths, while a sparse layer of green covers her scalp.

The rustling of robes brings the child's attention to him, and he holds her curious gaze, his mouth forming the whispers of words.

"Remember: you are the heir to my name,

"Roronoa Olvina."

* * *

 _Omg you have no idea HOW MUCH I wanted to have Zoro be by Robin's side and just stick out his katana and deflect that bullet like its nothing while controlling himself to not go and kill that marine himself but urgh I was an idiot and so now that can't happen -_-_

 _Ok rant over hope you guys enjoyed._


	32. Fatherly

_Oh. My. God when I first reread this chapter to edit and post it it was SO OUT OF CHARACTER HOLY PRIMUS I WAS DYING. I did my best to fix it but some parts may still be a bit weird :/_

 _Anyway, the fluff I promised it finally here (featuring adorable little Olvina)! Also the chapter was originally longer but I went back and cut out all the OOC parts sooooo... Yah that's it I'm so excited for you guys to read this chapter :3. There's so much happiness and it makes me happy and I hope it makes you happy too~_

 **Reviews :3**

Sake-san - _Thank you so much for your support! I'm still kind of regretting that bullet thing (x3) but you're right! He's alive and that's all that matters. Also I'm really glad that you find the characters to be in character :D Lastly, yes, I'm afraid it won't be that simple :( but once again, he's with the crew again and that's what's most important! (A very big hug for you too 3)_

Victoria Horn _\- Yay happy! I hope you'll be even happier this chapter because I was happy writing it and I hope it makes everyone happy!_

* * *

 _ **Fatherly**_

Having just finished another feeding, Robin calculates that another one won't be necessary until daybreak, so pressing a kiss to little Olvina's forehead, she sets her daughter back into the crib, makes sure she's comfortable, and climbs back into bed, sleep taking over in a matter of minutes.

* * *

He perches on a stool in the corner of the room and keeps his watch over her, allowing himself only to doze off but not completely asleep, for even though they should be safe on this deserted island away from the most dangerous parts of the Red Line, one never knows when danger will strike. The young one has fallen asleep soon after he had taken his post, and now remains soundly so, the expression on her small face strikingly similar to her mother, and he smiles, because it's all he wants and needs in that moment. Leaning back against the wall, the swordsman closes his eye, and waits for morning and the reunion it will bring.

* * *

Again she dreams of truth that had been taken from her, of the bits and pieces of the Void Century that was presented to her but ruthlessly snatched away when nightmares had engulfed the island and she, along with everyone else, had lost all consciousness. In the months following, when thoughts and memories become too much, Robin lets herself try and remember what exactly had taken place where shadows reigned. Nothing ever comes. The most that the archeologist can conjure up is the indisputable terror that had come with the knowledge and the wish that none of it was real, for even though she had anticipated the horror that one hundred years has to offer, what it gave was beyond her wildest dreams. Now it's gone, wiped from her memory as if it has never existed, leaving her with more questions than answers, and the dreams… they're never good.

This one, much like all those who preceded it, takes the form of a nightmare, the tension and panic of that day winding themselves around her like a serpent, a cobra, something dark and evil that hisses indiscernible words into her ear, rising the hair on the back of her neck and filling her mind, typically calm and bright, with enough shadows to cloud all judgement. But she doesn't scream or cry, not the way she had a year ago when faced with identical circumstances. She's a mother now, and Robin has to think for her child, only three months of age and quite easy to wake, during her nightly torments, so in the past months, the archaeologist has trained herself to refrain from making any sort of noise in her sleep, even if the nightmare borders on the brink of unbearable, even if she dreams once more of when he offered his life to the heavens in an exchange for hers, and, unknown to both of them at the time, their child's. However, the fact that no sound escapes her does not mean her body does not react at all. Much like how such experiences always end, Robin feels the covers shift as instinct prompts her to lash out at whatever is available, in this case being her bed, she can only hope that it's not enough to wake her daughter.

Then… too sudden and so strange, she hears a voice, one that she imagines hearing again night and day, every minute every hour. His voice. It remains exactly the way she remembers it, rough yet smooth, dominating yet gentle. It sounds above her, the soft wind caressing the side of her face as something equally tender traced her brows, and she feels herself relax, just as he has always been able to do. As sleep extends its arms to welcome her back into its embrace, what the voice had said registered, and she jerks her eyes open to a face that has very well dictated the part of her mind that isn't focused on raising a child. Before her brain can react, her soul already has, and tears soaked the fabric beneath her head.

"Wake up, it was just a nightmare, and I'm right here. Robin, I'm back."

Something like a muffled whimper escapes her throat, and Robin shoves the covers back and flings her arms around his neck, almost dragging him down onto the bed, but he holds fast, like he always does, and reaches an arm around to bring her fully into his muscled chest, while the other leans on the bed frame to keep the two of them from tumbling onto the floor.

"It's not a dream… It's not a dream… Tell me it's not a dream… Zoro."

* * *

Again and again she reaches up to cup his face in her hands or to run it through his moss green hair, still as soft as she remembers it from that night. Trying hard as she may be, Robin simply cannot believe what her eyes perceive, and for the past hour had been frantically trying to reassure herself that what's happening is real, that the swordsman sitting in front of her isn't just a trick that the heavens have decided to play on her to tear her mending soul apart. Zoro had simply sat there, uncharacteristically patient as he allowed her slender fingers to travel over his features, quivering and panicky and slightly jerky in their movements and desperate attempt to tell her that her swordsman indeed exists.

On their perhaps millionth trip down the sides of his face, Zoro catches her hands by the wrists, calloused fingers matching perfectly with the ones in her memory, and locks eyes with her, his still the soft and gentle forest green and the fire that makes it _him_ , with something new mixed within.

"I'm real Robin, I promise."

Too chocked up to speak, Robin shakes her head, then nods, then shakes her head again, completely unsure of what to do with her body and mind.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Zoro pulls her by the wrists that he currently holds in his hands, and folds her into his arms, Robin nods, vigorously, and curls into herself. He doesn't object, just keeps her close until the trembling has subsided and she can talk again. Reaching to embrace him once more, Robin suddenly feels a small patch of scarred skin, and following it down, she finds an uneven line that runs from the base of his neck and across his back. Her fingers freeze.

"The scar…"

"Trust me, it's not a shame or a disgrace, just a reminder that I'm still human." He catches on (weirdly fast for someone like him) and finally gives her the assurance that she has so desperately craved for the past year. Letting out a long breath, Robin lays her head on his chest, the way she had that day in the woods when he carried her back to the very ship where they now reside, and lets herself close her eyes, simply cherishing the gift that the Gods have granted her.

Perhaps they aren't so cruel after all.

* * *

"How?" At that she feels him smirk, the movements of his body in turn transferring into hers, and she feels as if she's not in the arms of a man but in the paws of a lion, majestic and ferocious, now purring into her chest. All over again she realizes just how much she has missed him, and she too smiles, this time devoid of bitterness.

"It's a long story, do you want me to explain now or wait?" Something about him has changed, and though Robin can't exactly put her hands around it, she loves it, whatever it is.

"Would you like to tell it now, Kenshi-San, or wait until later?" Immediately she feels the weight of his stare, inklings of annoyance coating the gaze.

Somehow, it helps Robin partially find the aspect that changed most about him.

"What?" Playing innocent, Robin pushes off his chest to look up at him with the best puppy eyes she can muster, and finds him looking down with his brow raised above his scarred eye and a slightly defeated look in the other, prompting another giggle out of the historian, now sitting across from the green-haired swordsman on the bed. Oh she _knows_ that he doesn't like riddles and confusing answers very much, precisely why she gave him one.

Zoro stays sitting there, eye locked with hers, still, Robin realizes, waiting for an answer.

So maybe he hadn't changed very much.

"I would love to hear it now, Kenshi-san." She half giggles.

He gives her that slightly defeated look again, and begins.

"I don't remember much, but Saga told me most of it…"

However, he is cut short when Olvina lets out a small gurgle from her crib, and Robin's motherly instincts snap into place, suddenly comprehending the fact that the light of early morning is now filtering through the window, and that it is be time to feed the child. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Robin pads to the small, still blurry-eyed girl and carefully lifts her out of the cradle to bring her to the bed, where the archaeologist nestles into the pillows and sheds the shoulder of her loose nightgown in order for the child to suckle. Fully aware of Zoro's presence, and, genuinely curious, Robin looks up at the father of their child.

He just sits there, nothing at all on his features except slight confusion. There is no sign of any awkwardness that surely any other man would feel, and everything that she sees, from the mossy green hair to the intense gaze, is still just Zoro. Unless she isn't imagining the minuscule bit of pink at the base of his neck. "Why don't you continue with you story, Kenshi-San." Robin urges the swordsman. Really, did she expect the Pirate Hunter to become bashful? Ridiculous, though if she hadn't imagined that small detail... She shoves down a rising giggle.

"Where was I?" He asks, as if she's the one telling the tale (he definitely hadn't changed very much).

"You haven't started yet." She reminds him, and he blinks a few times, like he's trying to remember what they were talking about.

Maybe, just maybe, that small, small blush had been... real?

Now he never says it, but Robin can almost hear the half annoyed voice.

 _Goddamnit woman, you're enjoying this too much._

"What happened?" She wonders again, seemingly once more interrupting his train of thought, if he ever had one, and earns a glare for it. Perhaps if she would just let him think, things would move faster, but Robin never lets slide a chance to tease her swordsman, who, in the moment, seems absolutely clueless of how to deal with her.

She loves it.

When he finally begins his account of the events, voice just soft enough so that it won't interrupt their daughter and words like a lullaby, Robin leans back into the bed frame, listening and knowing full well what change has overcome Roronoa Zoro.

* * *

"After I died, on one side there was that weird 'light at the end of the tunnel', and someone was saying something, I think it was Kuina, but it didn't sound like her, so who knows. The other side was really dark and there were monsters. I didn't see them but I heard them, also I just knew, and for some reason kind of wanted to kill them."

Robin smiles, the gods help those poor beasts if they ever cross him.

"Anyway, there was something else coming from there. Apparently they were memories, but I couldn't tell, because they didn't look like anything I remember, it was like someone drew them or something. For some reason you were in all of them though."

"I'm honored, Kenshi-San" She teases, though some part of her fills to the brink with happiness at the thought that perhaps she was part of what kept him in this world.

"The weird thing was that I wanted to go both ways, but I can't, so I was kind of fighting myself, I guess. And apparently I did that for six months when Saga readied himself and my body for the process that was going to happen, exactly what he did to himself and me, I have no idea. Then he told me that all of this is possible because of the awakening in his Devil Fruit, and that he can now give twenty years of his life to anything. About his powers, the big idea was that he can now kill anything within a 10 meter radius because he wants to, even not living things, like rocks or wood or-"

"Zoro, trees are sentient beings."

"You get the point…" With ten minutes having passed and Olvina now fast asleep in her arms, Robin shrugs on her baggy pajamas, enjoying the feel of the soft fabric sliding over her skin. It seems that after a year, she's gotten even harder to handle.

"Where was I?"

"Rocks and wood."

…

"Saga's Devil Fruit."

"It was how he saved me from the rocks under that cliff, by somehow awakening his Devil Fruit and killing the rocks before I hit the water. After the whole thing, he took me away to the island he usually lives on."

"What was it called?"

He shrugs, "I don't remember."

Robin almost facepalms, and probably would have if a child hadn't been in her arms.

"There, he spent six months preparing to give those twenty years, which really isn't much because apparently that "awakening" gave him an extra two hundred years to live, according to him, in order to figure out the "true" awakening, whatever that is he never told me."

 _Or maybe you just didn't listen._

"At the end of that six months, I was one step away from the light and actually dying when he got me out. I have no idea what it was, but something that looked like a giant hand reached into that place and waved away the light. Then suddenly I was alive again. After that, Saga kept me on that island for another six months since the whole process needed me to remain close to him and the place where he first ate the fruit for a year, but had people collect information because I asked him to-"

"Be honest Zoro, did you ask him or basically force him, even if he is your friend."

…

"Which is how I know about Olvina, and then yesterday he took me back here, though I really didn't need it."

'Oh I bet we'd waited another year if he hadn't.' Robin muses to herself, well aware of her swordsman's absolutely abysmal sense of directions but deciding not to mention it in order to preserve his pride. When she turns again to him, expecting more, she is met with a shrug.

"That's it."

Initially caught off guard and completely befuddled, Robin blinks before once again almost bursting into giggles, only catching herself at the last second and shutting up before she can wake Olvina. "What a nice story." She half teases, though grateful beyond words and heaven itself to the man with silver hair that had brought happiness back into her dim world, the only source of joy coming from the small night light in the form of their child and his heir, whom she loves and cherishes with every fiber of her being.

Sending up a silent thank you to the man named Saga, Robin looks back at Zoro, sitting in a small ray of sunlight that illuminates the left side of his face, soft despite the jagged scar that slices down his eye. Strangely enough, now that she thinks about it, Robin realizes that she can't summon a picture of his other eye. Maybe it's because she didn't have enough time to engrave it into her mind before Bartholomew Kuma sent them soaring in nine different directions, or maybe it's because it was taken away from her when the darkness had escaped with part of his soul and her memory. Whatever the case, she cannot recall how Zoro's left eye settled in the frame of his face, or how it shone in comparison to his right, and she's OK with it. Things change, people change, and everything is going to be just fine.

Perhaps when that darkness stole a bit of his soul, it made room for something new and wonderful to emerge.

"Would you like to hold her?"

That day, when the crew enters to say their "good morning"s to the mother and child, they will be greeted with the sight of his daughter in the arms of the Pirate Hunter.

* * *

 _Yaaaayyyyyyyyy I told you there would be happiness (like eleven chapters ago)! Anyway I'm so sad that the story is almost over ;-; but I really really really hope you enjoyed it and expect a really long thank you in a few weeks!_

 _Byebye!_

 _imfinallynotguiltaboutachapteryeetifeelaccomplished._


	33. The Next Generation Rises

EVERYONE LAST CHAPTER I AM SO EXCITED OMG THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT YOU'VE GIVEN ME EXPECT A VERY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE NEXT CHAPTER (where i have a bit of a bonus prepared :P)

Anyway I'm so sorry I updated late this week it's finals week and I'm stressed ad things are stressed and I had volunteering and then band and yah it was busy. But here it is and I really hope you enjoy because I hecking LOVED writing this!

* * *

 **The Next Generation Rises**

 _In the past twenty years, her father accomplished everything he had set out to do, and left this world proud and satisfied. She will never forget the day when he had left, pressing a light kiss to her mother's forehead and ruffling his daughter's hair the way he always would, before leaping off the worn deck of the Thousand Sunny and onto the wasteland of an island that she now stands on, leaving the three ancient blade in her hands. On that day, he had turned 42._

 _Two decades ago, a man granted her father the chance to live again for twenty years, during which he would have to fight his way to the peak and claim his throne, emerging on top of all swordsmen._

 _Rise he did._

 _Even from her toddler years, she remembers the vigorous training that he would engage in everyday for hours on end as she watched, bouncing on her mother's knee. During these sessions, katanas would slice through the air at speeds that she could only imagine, his body spinning or whirling gracefully in the air as he battled someone invisible to her, the cracked blade in his mouth always ringing to the rhythm of his movements. Like such she had watched and watched and watched, wonder blooming in her soul. Months passed, then years, until she too spun and whirled beside him, three katanas gripped in her hands and teeth, a deadly dance that matched the music of metal singing through the air step by step. When she was old enough, her father had sparred with her on the lawn of the beautiful ship that she has come to know as home, with the Strawhat Pirates gathered around to watch. In the mischievous words of her mother, it was like observing "two moss green hurricanes attacking each other", to which her father would playfully cuff the historian on the head with the handle of his katana and the young girl would in turn take the opportunity to tackle him from behind, usually resulting in a heap of green and purple on the floor. As months continued to tick away, three other girls joined her in this world, where the four of them have come to embody its presence: cruel, yet so undeniably beautiful._

 _Then came the monumental duel, on March 9th, in the year of the Pirate Hunter's 32th birthday, when the challenge was issued on the extension of the renowned floating restaurant Baratie, and they stood by, the four girls eerily silent, as the scepter was passed from one swordsman to another, as a promise was fulfilled. Never will she forget the words that the master swordsman had uttered to her father, a savage smile dancing on his lips._

"Ever since I left that scar upon your chest, I have been waiting for you to return it."

 _Then katanas sliced through the air, following the lethally elegant flow of his movements, and severed flesh and bone with respect in the killing blow. None of them were surprised by the result, and though one of her friends' eyes lined with silver, all four knew the inevitable outcome of the battle and accepted it with open minds. From that moment onward, for ten years he held that position, unwavering in the face of challengers and cutting them down like nothing but insects. Now, with him gone, it remains open in the world, waiting for someone worthy to claim it. Perhaps one day she will, with the will of a cracked katana at her side, or perhaps one day her friend will, with the power of night at her command, or perhaps one day another swordmaster will, someone truly deserving of the mighty title._

 _As she stands there, rocks crumble behind her, an island devoid of life whispering..._

 _Here they come._

 _A girl joins her atop the disintegrating structure, the youngest of the four and many a times her partner in swordplay, with round eyes and three lashes beneath them, inherited from her mother, a sharp face that reflected the ruthlessness and strength of her father, and a head of spiky, black and pink hair, cropped short by her own choice twelve years ago to commemorate the battle that her father had been destined to lose. Her face is the embodiment of fierceness, even the eyes that may be defined as cute not diminishing the raw power that her features represent. Those very eyes, however, are where her greatest hindrance lies: fogged, milky, and never quite focused on anything in particular. Such irony, as the daughter of a man known far and wide for his awe-inspiring eyesight, her friend lives in a world of darkness. Due to this "disability", underestimating the girl is a mistake that many have made in the past, and more often than not, it is the last they ever made. Never before has her friend let her lack of sight impede her journey to greatness, neither has those around her ever pitied her for it. From the mere age of 3, when her blindness was confirmed, her father had put her through grueling training, the young girl, mature much beyond her years, ever willing to do so without complaint, though her mother was never present, not able to behold the sight of her own flesh and blood worked to such exhaustion that she can no longer stay upright, until she would fall asleep on the training field. When such instances occur, the girl's father would bring her back to the castle sheltered in his arms, where her mother would take over in taking care of the young one, while her father watched, streaks of silver by then dancing through his hair. Such is the way that her friend trained for 3 years with the late World's Greatest Swordsman, and then years upon years after his departure from the living world, honing her other senses so that her eyesight would not have the slightest effect on her when faced with an adversary. Now the girl stands beside her, short hair ruffling in the slight breeze, and a long, black blade strapped securely to her back._

 _Next comes the girl who loves fun, the daughter of the All Blue and successor to the legendary navigator and mapmaker, with the hair and brows to prove it: the former fiery orange, clearly inherited from her mother, with hints of a lighter yellow mixed within, and the latter… they speak for themselves. Long, smooth bangs falls over the right half of her face, obscuring it and only leaving her left eye visible to the world. The rest of her hair descends in a cascade over her left shoulder, tightly braided and reflecting the rays of the setting sun, proud in the fading daylight. Growing up, she had trained alongside her father in the art of kicking while pursuing her true passion in the studies of her mother. Quite like her mother, the girl has an extremely mischievous and witty personality that marks her as the prankster of the bunch. In fact, amongst the four of them, perhaps the phrase that can be heard most is simply her name yelled by the other three sworn sisters after another clever trick. Needless to say, stealth is her greatest asset._

 _Finally, the daughter of the king joins them on the crumbling stones of the temple, by far the most stunning of them all, obtaining much of her mother's beauty yet maintaining her father's carefree nature. Her long, raven locks flow down her back in a waterfall, swishing to and fro rhythmically as she joins her three sisters, adventure gleaming in the depths of her midnight black eyes. Anyone who lays eyes on her will instantly recognize her as the daughter of conquerors, royalty in their own right, the breezy and buoyant air saying it all. For much of her childhood, she was raised and trained with a bow and arrow, kept a secret by her mother on the island of all women for protection against the World Government, who are, like they once did sixty five years ago, looking to eradicate the bloodline of a monarch like no other, seeking to destroy the heritage of the mythical Pirate King. Unlike the others, underneath the charm and a goddess-like presence, this girl carries the mystery that has plagued the world for centuries: the will of D. Fiercely loyal and with an innate sense of right and wrong, she is the epitome of justice in her own way, and though one of the most hunted in the world, she alone of the four has an untainted soul, for never before has she taken a life. In the soft wind, the straw hat swings gently behind her._

 _Then there's her, the eldest of the four and the one that started it all, though as far as she is concerned, they are all equals. Her shoulder length, moss green hair is pulled back in a ponytail, kept out of her face with a few stray strands encircling her sharp features and blue green eyes, the spitting image of her mother with slight details of her father's attributes, most noticeable in the set of her jaw and the aura of dominance that crowds about her. Three sheaths, home to her dearest treasures, passed on to her by the hands of one that knew the end of his time, one that she holds in the highest regard, hang at her waist by a dark green sash. These blades are where his will lies, where her mission begins. Every since she started training in the unique style, her father had been teaching her how to wield a broken katana without damaging it further, even letting her train with the three that he cherishes and respects, taking time off in order to instruct her in her swordplay. Her hand, a mirror of her father's own, curls around the spotless hilt, feeling the familiar diamonds dig into her skin as her fingers tighten, an eternal reminder that he once walked upon this Earth and sailed across these oceans. The breeze picks up, and her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes close in the wind that now flings her hair behind her, basking in the presence of her sisters and the knowledge of the mission that they all share. All four of them, every single one, bears upon their shoulders the legacy of legends, and now that those legends have retired from the Great Age of Piracy, it is up to them to carry on those legacies, to keep them alive, as well as to build ones that belong solely to them._

 _As of now, it has already solidified, and all that's left to do is raise it to rival that of the heavens themselves._

* * *

 _Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you a new era that began with the birth of four baby girls, now known far and wide as the Four Terrors._

 _Winged Darkness Dracule Takana, child of the night._

 _Cloaked Assassin Vinsmoke Mikka, daughter of the ocean._

 _Mercy Monkey D. Acelyn, heir of freedom._

 _Cracked Blade Roronoa Olvina, legacy of will._

 _Flowing through their veins is the blood of the eight greatest legends to ever grace the surface of the Earth, and on the temple where blood once ran red, where Dracule fell, where Vinsmoke cried, where the will of D lost, where Roronoa perished. On such soil, upon which fear and anguish reigned, upon which their parents once suffered and wailed…_

 _The next generation rises._


	34. Goodnight, Olvina

_Everyone thank you so so SO much for reading this story and all your amazing support! Every read and follower and favorite and review is motivation for me to keep writing and I just wanted to say that I am so grateful for every single person who clicked on this story, even if you didn't finish it. You all have been so kind and supportive and I know I'm getting repetitive but I really really am so thankful for everything!_

 _Now there are a few people I want to give a special THANK YOU to:_

 _1) Literally anyone who left a review: all your kind words made me all that more determined to make the story as good as I possibly can so that everyone will continue to enjoy it and I love you all._

 _2)_ **JMoon** : _Your detailed and in depth reviews gave me so much to work off of and ways I can improve the story. I loved loved loved answering all of your questions and you have been so wonderful with your encouragement. So thank you so much and a big BIG virtual hug!_

 _3)_ **Victoria Horn** _: You have left reviews almost every chapter of this story and I cannot express how much they helped. Every time I see your words they make me so so happy! I'm so grateful that you found this story so enjoyable and I will definitely write more in the future! You have been such a great and supportive person and THANK YOU. Big hug for you too :3_

 _I think you guys get the point but I can't stress it enough. Thank you to all who walked with me through this tale and I will never stop being grateful for all the support I received. DANG I wish I could send hugs to every single one of you!_

 _Anyway, here's a little bonus: a lullaby sung by Robin to Olvina every night after she was born, up to the very day before a certain swordsman returned 3_

 _The original lyrics are NOT mine they belong to_ **ponyphonic** _on youtube and omg they are amazing and so talented. But yah here's my version of it._

 _Min'na, enjoy._

* * *

 ** _Goodnight, Olvina_**

Fate has been cruel and order unkind

He should have been here at our side

The blame was my own

The punishment yours

The Sunny is silent tonight

But into the stillness I bring you a song

And I will your company keep

Till your tired eyes

And my lullabies

Have carried you softly to sleep.

Once did a girl who was cursed by the dark

Put up her defenses and hide

She smiled and said to those all around her "no one can be as happy or so satisfied"

So great was her lie

Such brilliant deception

That long did she cower alone

Until someone gentle reach out with his hand

And pulled her from dark water onto the land

Soon did that girl start experiencing feelings

Rrespect, admiration, and love

Now she thought the dark would leave her alone

And let down her guard to the cruelty above

But such is the way of the Reaper, he sweetly

Took hold of the love of her life

And that foolish girl did nothing to stop

The horrors unfolding right in front of her eyes

Lullay young wonder

Goodnight daughter mine

Rest now in starlight's embrace

Remember your heritage child of the blade

Through battles through wars and through peace

Carry the love and power of his will

Keep your soul as strong and as kind

He still loves you as a father would do

And wish troubles far from your mind

And leave all worry and fear behind

The years now before us

Looming and forlorn

I never imagined

We'd face them on our own

May these coming winters

Be gentle to your soul

I love you

He does too

A thousand realms away

May all your dreams be sweet tonight

Safe upon your bed of starlight

And know not of heartache, pain, nor care

And when we sleep we'll fly away and meet him there

Sleep

Sleep

Sleep

* * *

 ** _Heartbreaker: end_**


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